Prime Minister

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Prime Minister, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from No. 10 Downing Street.

Mr David Cameron: I send Christmas cards to a wide variety of people I meet, work and engage with throughout the year. This includes foreign Heads of State and Government, charities and the voluntary sector, business leaders and Parliamentarians.

Northern Ireland Government

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Prime Minister, how many official meetings he has had with the (a) First Minister and (b) Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland since taking office.

Mr David Cameron: I regularly meet the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so. I most recently met them at the Joint Ministerial Council on Monday 15 December 2014.

Wind Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his evidence to the Liaison Committee on 16 December 2014, Q30, HC 887, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the public are frankly fed up with so many wind farms being built.

Mr David Cameron: Through the course of this Parliament I have received numerous letters from Members of Parliament concerned about the impact of new wind turbine installations in their constituency, many of them referencing significant local campaigns against onshore wind.

Department for Work and Pensions

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Esther McVey: No estimate has been made of savings arising from the introduction of the Q&A system. The introduction of the Q&A system has had no impact on existing or planned ICT systems. One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies. It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Industrial Health and Safety

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he issues for companies on what health and safety data they should publish.

Mr Mark Harper: Companies are not required by law to publish data on their health and safety performance, and consequently the Health and Safety Executive does not offer generic guidance on this.   However, for high hazard businesses operating under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999, the competent authority, comprising HSE and the relevant environmental regulators, has recently (October 2014) published a Performance and Recognition Framework which describes how it takes account of business performance in planning its interventions. The Framework encourages the adoption by major hazard operators of industry-wide Process Safety Leadership Principles, which advocate the use of performance indicators, publication of performance information and sharing of good practice across sectors.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls there were to the Child Maintenance Options Service from September 2014 to the end of November 2014.

Steve Webb: The number of inbound calls received by the Child Maintenance Options Service from September 2014 to the end of November 2014 is shown in the table below.  MonthNumber of calls received by the Child Maintenance Options ServiceSep-1431,390Oct-1430,460Nov-1427,300 Notes:- Data Sourced from CMO Monthly MI Service Pack- Data rounded to nearest 5

Universal Credit: Fraud

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many instances of fraud have been recorded in the universal credit programme since April 2013.

Mr Mark Harper: Officials are currently working on defining what Universal Credit official statistics will be published in the future. We are recording any instances of fraud on UC but these figures are not yet available.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards are in place to ensure that a person who loses their employment and support allowance as a result of a sanction will not also lose their housing benefit because of a misunderstanding by the local authority.

Esther McVey: Following Matthew Oakley’s report we have implemented a number of improvements to communications to ensure that claimants understand the sanctions process and can take the necessary action.An investigation of housing benefit with local authorities showed that the IT solution is working to specification and correct notifications are being sent. As a safeguard we have also improved guidance to ensure that staff advise all claimants, when sanctioned, to inform their local authority so that their housing benefit is not inadvertently stopped.We will continue to monitor the position in cooperation with local authorities.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference in the number of short-term benefit allowance payments in 2013-14 and the number of crisis loan alignment payments in each of the previous six years.

Esther McVey: It is not possible to compare the number of Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) payments with the number of Crisis Loan alignment payments as there are a number of key differences in the respective rules and processes.

Work Programme: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents were referred to the Work Programme between June 2011 and June 2014; and how many such parents achieved a sustained job outcome.

Esther McVey: Information in relation to the Work Programme referrals and job outcomes by lone parent status, up to June 2014, is published and can be found at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Benefits Rules

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to make benefit claimants aware of (a) short-term benefit advances and (b) hardship payments.

Esther McVey: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the oral answer given to him by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Official Report, 8 December 2014, column 633. The Secretary of State set out how the department will be doing more to raise awareness of Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs). This will include providing more information to claimants about STBAs online and in Jobcentres. Staff guidance on STBAs will also be updated and staff reminded of the process for considering an STBA.The department has already made improvements to the hardship process. In July 2014 we strengthened guidance for work coaches so that all claimants are informed about how and when they can make an application for hardship payment and processing times have also been improved.

Access to Work Programme

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Access to Work Workplace Mental Health Support Service is currently operating at maximum capacity of its budget; and what further steps he plans to take to ensure that that service meets the needs of people with mental health problems.

Mr Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her previous Parliamentary Question UIN number 218381, published on the Written Questions and Answers system on 18th December 2014.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what help he plans to provide to women who will be adversely effected by the ending of access to derived basic state pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: We have put transitional arrangements in place for those women whose ability to build their own State Pension could have been affected because they opted to pay the “married woman’s stamp” on the understanding that they would be able to claim on their husband’s contributions. They will be able to get a pension of about the same as the basic pension they could have got in the current scheme plus any additional State Pension they built up themselves by April 2016, if that is more than they would get under the new rules on their own contributions. We have acted on concerns raised about the potential impact of these changes on the spouses and civil partners of military personnel and accordingly will provide new credits to cover periods of accompanied service abroad prior to April 2010. We are also seeking to support those reaching State Pension age after the reforms are introduced to understand how they will be affected, as well as actions people may be able to take to increase their State Pension, through a multi-channel communications campaign. We estimate that only around 2% of individuals reaching State Pension age in Great Britain between 2016 and 2030 will be adversely affected at some point in their retirement by the removal of derived entitlement to the basic State Pension, of whom around three-quarters (130,000) are women. This estimate does not take account of those who may gain additional qualifying years by making voluntary National Insurance contributions under the easements to the rules we have introduced for people reaching State Pension age from April 2016.

Employment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who were previously on benefits that have moved to part-time or full-time work following the introduction of the cap on benefits.

Esther McVey: Over 50,000 households have been capped to August 2014, with almost 24,000 no longer capped. Of those no longer capped 40 per cent or 9,624 households went into work. The actual number of households who have gone into work may be higher; some individuals may go into work but may not be eligible to claim WTC if their earnings are too high or the hours worked do not meet the claim requirements. Further information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014

Housing Benefits: Vale of Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was paid in housing benefit in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information requested is shown in the table below. Total Housing Benefit expenditure in Vale of Clwyd constituency2011/122012/132013/14£ million, nominal27.028.429.3£ million, 2014/15 prices28.529.429.8Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract and Local Authority subsidy returns Notes:1. Benefit expenditure is available for financial years only.2. Housing Benefit expenditure by Parliamentary Constituency is not available prior to 2011/12.3. Figures at 2014/15 prices are deflated using GDP deflators published following the 2014 Autumn Statement and published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/383988/GDP_Deflators_Autumn_Statement_December_2014_update.xls

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rise in employment and support allowance claimants.

Mr Mark Harper: The Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) caseload increased by 1,618,580 between May 2010 and May 2014: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/esa/ccdate/esa_phase/a_carate_r_ccdate_c_esa_phase.html. During this period we have been reassessing IB claimants for ESA.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who claimed universal credit up to 13 November 2014 have not accepted the terms of their claimant commitment.

Mr Mark Harper: 25,890 people have claimed Universal Credit up to 13 November 2014. All of these people have attended an initial interview and accepted the terms of their claimant commitment.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, of the 22,900 claiming universal credit up to 13 November 2014, in how many cases the claimant has initially been unemployed and then moved into employment during their claim.

Mr Mark Harper: The latest statistics for Universal Credit were published on 17 December 2014, see link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389416/Universal_Credit_statistical_first_release_Dec_2014.pdf

Housing Benefit

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of annual expenditure on housing benefit is allocated to the costs of administering that benefit.

Steve Webb: DWP has contributed £304m to the costs of local authorities administering Housing Benefit for 2015/16. The amount allocated to local authorities for more financial years can be found in the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-for-local-authorities-subsidy-circulars

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department allocated to local authorities for Universal Credit Delivery Partnership agreements in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment and Support Allowance: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been in receipt of employment and support allowance for more than one year in the Vale of Clwyd in each of the last five years.

Mr Mark Harper: Statistics on the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants are published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Welfare State: Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland on welfare reform.

Esther McVey: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions held a recent discussion with the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland on 23 October by telephone on Welfare Reform.

Children: Maintenance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls were received by the Child Maintenance Options Service from parents who had been in contact with the Options Service during the period covered by his Department's most recent survey of effective family-based arrangements.

Steve Webb: The number of inbound calls received by the Child Maintenance Options Service in each month from Apr-13 to March 14 is available in the table below. MonthNumber of calls received by the Child Maintenance Options ServiceApr-138,024May-137,845Jun-138,915Jul-1310,360 1Aug-1311,990Sep-1313,835Oct-1314,835Nov-1321,375 2Dec-1322,760Jan-1426,515Feb-1425,875Mar-1426,865 Notes:- Data Sourced from CMO Monthly MI Service Pack- Data rounded to nearest 51 Child Maintenance Options started providing a ‘soft gateway’ to the 2012 statutory child maintenance scheme, offering parents applying to the 2012 Scheme the opportunity to explore the full range of options before making an application, including considering making their own arrangements.2 Child Maintenance Options became the automatic ‘gateway’ to the statutory 2012 child maintenance scheme, ensuring all parents who wish to access the 2012 Scheme are making a fully informed decision and have considered making their own arrangements first.

Children: Maintenance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of parents in the survey conducted by his Department of parents' contact with the Child Maintenance Options Service between February 2013 and March 2014 had no maintenance arrangement following contact with the Service.

Steve Webb: Information around different arrangement types (including where parents have no arrangement) is under development and while not included in this publication, once assured, it will be included in future releases of this publication.

Children: Maintenance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of parents in the survey conducted by his Department of parents' contact with the Child Maintenance Options Service between February 2013 and March 2014 chose to make a statutory maintenance arrangement following contact with the Service; and how many children such statutory arrangements covered.

Steve Webb: Information around different arrangement types is under development and while not included in this publication, once assured, it will be included in future releases of this publication.

Housing Benefit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change was in the number of (i) all households and (ii) working households in receipt of housing benefit in each English local authority area between April 2010 and the latest date for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Information on the number of Housing Benefit (HB) recipients in each English local authority since April 2010 is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm Note: the economic status of all HB recipients is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information is only available for HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is, for those who do not receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or the guarantee element of Pension Credit.

Work Capability Assessment: Highlands of Scotland

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is in Highland for people requiring an employment and support allowance work capability assessment.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for employment and support allowance in Highland are awaiting a work capability assessment.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for employment and support allowance in Highland have been waiting for a work capability assessment for (a) longer than three months, (b) longer than four months, (c) longer than five months and (d) longer than six months.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting time for work capability assessments in Highland; and what discussions he has had with Atos on that reduction.

Mr Mark Harper: Official statistics for ESA processing times are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost. The total number of people whose Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessment has not yet been completed in the Highland Local Authority area is 1,700; of these 1,400 relate to new ESA claims. We have taken robust action to improve the process and are in daily contact with Atos. We are committed to putting this right. Atos Healthcare will continue to deliver Work Capability Assessments until they exit from the contract on 28 February 2015. The new supplier, MAXIMUS Health and Human Services, will be responsible for all service delivery from 1 March 2015 including any outstanding work carried over from Atos. The priority for MAXIMUS will be to transition the service smoothly from Atos and stabilise the service to deliver the best service possible for claimants, increase the volume of assessments carried out and reduce waiting times without compromising quality. The process for claimants will remain the same during the transition so they should continue to attend their assessments.

South West

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what identifiable expenditure his Department has spent on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in each year since 2007-08.

Steve Webb: The information is available in the ‘Benefit Expenditure by Local Authority from 2000/01 to 2013/14’ tables at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2014

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr S Almond.

Steve Webb: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Ian Duncan Smith, replied to the Rt. Hon. Member on 18 December 2014.

State Retirement Pensions: Scotland

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Scottish pensioners in each local authority area were entitled to receive the basic state pension in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and how many such people are expected to receive basic state pension in 2015-16.

Steve Webb: Statistics for numbers in receipt of State Pension are available from 100% data and are published on the Department’s website at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance Information is not available on the number of people entitled but who have not claimed their State Pension or how many people in each local authority area are expected to receive it in 2015-16.

Vacancies: Internet

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job applications have been made through Universal Jobmatch from the EU-wide jobs portal since November 2012.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available as it is not possible to quantify the number of applications made through Universal Jobmatch from the EURES Portal.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the recent change in the number of 16 to 24 year olds unemployed for more than two years.

Esther McVey: Youth unemployment has fallen by 208,000 – over a fifth – on the year to 754,000.   Estimates of long-term youth unemployment on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition are based on relatively small samples of individuals and can fluctuate from one period to another. The information published by the Office for National Statistics covers 18-24 year olds and shows that over the last year as a whole the number unemployed for two years or more has fallen by about 10%. The number of young people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for more than two years – the group directly covered by Government employment support – nearly halved in the year to November 2014

Christmas Bonus

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether recipients of the Christmas Bonus may pay it back.

Steve Webb: The Christmas bonus is a payment of £10 made to people who receive State Pension and other qualifying benefits during the relevant week, normally the first week in December. People are entitled to do what they wish with this payment and so they can repay it if that is their preference. The Christmas bonus is generally not a separate payment but is combined with other pensions or benefits in a single payment.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseeker's allowance claimants participating in the Work Programme have received more than one sanction since June 2011.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Home Office

Staff

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on (a) consultants, (b) temporary staff and (c) contingent labour in each of the last five years; how many people have been so employed; what the length of contract of each such person was; and what equivalent civil service salary band each was on.

Karen Bradley: Expenditure incurred by the Home Department and its agencies on consultants, temporary staff and contingent labour in the last five years is published annually in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are held in the House Library and available from these links.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ho-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-to-2011https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2009-to-2010https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/247694/0193.pdfThe Department did not separately account for Agency Staff (Temporary Workers) in these years as the costs associated with this category are included in the overall Contingent Labour figures. Spend on contingent and consultancy labour has decreased significantly overall since 09/10. FY09/10 FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14 £m£m£m£m£mConsultancy£227.470£64.194£33.301£14.762£18.014Contingent Labour £134.000£51.472£37.772£50.672£72.430   The Department engages Temporary Staff at AA, AO, EO, HEO and SEO equivalent Grades, the vast majority at the AA to EO grades. Contractors are engaged in grade equivalents EO to SCS PB1 with the vast majority at SEO and G6/7.The Department buys consultancy as a service and therefore does not engage consultants individually.To provide details of contract durations and equivalent grades would require analysis of individual contracts and disparate datasets, the time taken to undertake this task would incur disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218042, how many and what proportion of candidates took their English language tests online in each country in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Secure English language tests for visa purposes require attendance in person at an invigilated test centre. As such there are no online tests that can be taken from home.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218042, how many cases of fraud or abuse in relation to English language testing have been identified in each country in each of the last five years; and what proportion such cases were of the total number sitting those tests in each country.

James Brokenshire: The data requested is not held centrally and the costs of gathering the information would involve disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218042, what steps her Department takes to ensure that the candidate sitting a test online is the same person who completed the secure online verification process.

James Brokenshire: English language tests for visa purposes require attendance in person at an invigilated test centre. It is incumbent upon Secure English Language Test (SELT) providers to check the identity of individuals sitting their tests. The secure online verification process is the system delivered by the SELT test providers which the Home Office uses to check results relied on in support of an immigration application.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218042, how many concerns regarding fraud or abuse in relation to English language testing were reported to her Department by English language testing providers in each country in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: This information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218042, what licences were awarded to which companies testing English language skills in connection with visa applications for travel to the UK in the last five years.

James Brokenshire: In April 2011 this Government introduced a requirement that certain immigration routes required a Secure English Language Test (SELT) as evidence of English language ability. When SELTs were introduced in 2011, 5 providers were licensed to provide SELTs for Immigration purpose. These were Trinity, Pearson, Cambridge, City & Guilds and ETS. All of these providers were already providing English language tests for certain immigration purposes prior to 2011. In December 2012 a sixth provider, Cambridge International Examinations, was added as an approved SELT provider for UK Immigration purposes.

UK Border Agency

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many front-line staff are employed at the UK border; and what the annual cost to the public purse is of such staff.

James Brokenshire: There are approximately 7,900 Home Office staff employed by Border Force on the front line at the UK border. The annual cost of these staff is approximately £373 million.Please note these figures are part of the current year’s expenditure and so will be subject to audit. These are Home Office staff and do not include staff working for other agencies.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were granted British citizenship have had referees from outside the UK in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many individuals were granted British citizenship who had referees from outside the UK is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were granted British citizenship disclosed financial fraud in their application for citizenship.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many individuals who were granted citizenship who disclosed financial fraud in their application for citizenship is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.However where the Secretary of State is aware that a person has practised fraud they would not normally be granted citizenship as the good character requirement would not be satisfied.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had on the creation of standard operating procedures for the conduct of police wildlife crime officers.

Mike Penning: There are no plans to create specific operating procedures for the conduct of police officers when they are investigating wildlife crimes. Police officers investigating wildlife crimes are subject to the same standards of professional behaviour that apply to all police officers.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for British citizenship were made in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The information requested, which is published regularly, is given in the table below Citizenship applications, United Kingdom 2010 to 2013YearApplications for British citizenship 2010199,767 2011207,797 2012181,410 2013232,262   Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics Immigration Statistics July to September 2014 Tables cz_01The latest Home Office immigration statistics, including applications for British citizenship are published in the release Immigration Statistics July -September 2014, table cz_01 (Citizenship tables), which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Seized Articles

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many internal reports were made of discrepancies in bulk-seized excise goods arriving at Queen's Warehouses in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Internal reports of discrepancies in bulk seized excise goods arriving at both Queens’s Warehouses are produced on a monthly basis. From 2010 to date there have been 59 reports and these cover seizures made by Border Force and HM Revenue & Customs. Where discrepancies are identified recounts are undertaken by Border Force on the arrival of the goods at the Queens Warehouse to ensure an accurate tally.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants were granted British citizenship who had undertaken illegal work in the UK in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many individuals who were granted British citizenship who had undertaken illegal work in the UK is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.However where the Secretary of State is aware that a person has undertaken illegal work in the UK they would not normally be granted citizenship as the good character requirement would not be satisfied.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants were granted British citizenship who had previously committed crimes in other countries in each year since 2010; and of what crimes those applicants had been convicted.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many individuals who were granted British citizenship who had previously committed crimes in other countries is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.However where the Secretary of State is aware that a person has committed crimes in other countries they would not normally be granted citizenship as the good character requirement would not be satisfied.

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the savings to her Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems her Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Karen Bradley: The Home Department has made savings in relation to stationery costs and the time taken to produce answers to Parliamentary Questions associated with the previous system. The Q&A system has improved efficiency in the administrative processing of answers to Parliamentary Questions. It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Asylum

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has given to the UK Border Agency on (a) the maximum distance that asylum seekers can be asked to travel when reporting to police stations and (b) other aspects of the interpretation of that requirement.

James Brokenshire: There is no maximum distance set on the distance individuals can be asked to travel to report to either a Home Office reporting centre or a police station. Current Home Office guidance states that an individual will not normally be required to travel more than 25 miles to report (Reporting – Standards of Operational Practice).Any asylum seeker living outside of the three mile radius of their reporting location who receives Asylum Support under Section 95 or Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act of 1999 is eligible to apply for assistance with travel expenses. Initially, reporting location is determined on the basis of the postcode of an individual’s proposed address. Further consideration may then be given to the reporting location should the individual raise exceptional circumstances which makes travelling difficult, for example medical issues or pregnancy.

British Nationality

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants were granted British citizenship who had previously absconded from immigration detention in the UK in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Information on how many individuals who were granted British citizenship who had previously absconded from immigration detentions is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.However where a person has previously absconded from immigration detention they would not normally be granted citizenship as the good character requirement would not be satisfied.

British Nationality

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people successfully applied for UK citizenship in each of the last five years; how many applications for citizenship in that time have been rejected; and how many people's applications for citizenship are pending.

James Brokenshire: The published National Statistics of British citizenship grants and refusals, 2009 to 2013, are given in the table below.  British Citizenship grants and refusals, United Kingdom, 2009 to 2013YearDecisions taken to grantDecisions taken to refuse or withdraw   2009203,78910,251   2010195,0467,974   2011177,7856,884   2012194,2096,878   2013207,9897,269 Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics   Immigration Statistics July to September 2014  Tables cz_01 The latest Home Office immigration statistics, including grants and refusals of British citizenship, 2000 to 2013, are published in the release Immigration Statistics July – September 2014, table cz_01 (Citizenship tables), which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release As at 30 September 2014, a total of 40,620 applications for British citizenship were awaiting despatch, either work in progress or outstanding not input.The latest UK Visas and Immigration management information, including cases that are work in progress or outstanding not input, are published in the release Transparency data, Temporary and permanent migration data: November 2014, table InC4 which is available on the Department’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-november-2014

Drugs: Misuse

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of the drug-induced mortality rate in (a) Sweden, (b) Portugal and (c) the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Overseas Students: Entry Clearances

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international students living and studying in the UK have not had their passports returned to them by the Passport Office in time to travel abroad before Christmas 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU Internal Security Fund

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has plans to set up an alternative to the EU Internal Security fund to facilitate cross-border crime prevention for the period 2014-20.

James Brokenshire: The Government is still considering its position in regard to the policing element of the Internal Security Fund.

Temporary Exclusion Orders

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK nationals she estimates are overseas and would potentially be subject to temporary exclusion orders.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will undertake to visit Northern Ireland before the general election for the purpose of ensuring that the public and all political parties are aware of the ongoing consequences of not having the National Crime Agency fully operational there.

Karen Bradley: Parliament recently supported a DUP motion condemning the illegal activities being carried out by criminal gangs in Northern Ireland and calling for the full implementation of the National Crime Agency. We want the people and communities of Northern Ireland to benefit from the full range of the National Crime Agency’s capabilities, as the rest of the UK does. Of course, it will take the support of all the main parties in Northern Ireland to make the proposals work. Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings or any forthcoming visits.

Vetting

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the expected processing time is for a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Karen Bradley: The current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) service standard is to issue 88% of all Disclosures within 40 working days. Latest figures, relating to November 2014, show that the average time taken to process a DBS Disclosure application was 10.55 working days.

Asylum: Appeals

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time is that the Home Office Visas and Immigration section is taking to respond to decisions taken by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in the last 12 months; and in how many cases a response is outstanding.

James Brokenshire: The information requested covers a broad range of case types and is not held centrally for in country cases. It could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. For international appeals the average time for allowed appeals to be implemented from October 2013 to September 2014 was 45 calendar days. Information relating to how many international appeals remain outstanding could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.The Home Office has 14 calendar days to consider whether to appeal an allowed First-tier or Upper Tribunal decision (although this can be longer in some Upper Tribunal decisions where the last avenue to appeal is direct to the Court of Appeal) for in country cases and 28 calendar days for out of country cases. The relevant unit responsible for implementation will be notified once a decision has been made not to appeal.

Email: Fraud

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of phishing there have been in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office doesn’t hold data centrally on the number of cases of phishing.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to incorporate into the Serious Organised Crime Strategy the conclusions of the document, UK commitment to action on illegal wildlife trade, published in February 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office continues to work with other departments to ensure that the Government delivers on the UK Commitment to Action on the Illegal Wildlife Trade. The Government will review its progress against the UK’s commitments early next year.The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy applies the successful framework we use to counter terrorism to drive and coordinate our response to serious and organised crime, which encompasses illegal wildlife trade. The National Crime Agency and its law enforcement partners focus on disrupting those serious and organised criminals that present the highest risk to the UK and its communities, including in areas such as child sexual exploitation and modern slavery. Where high-risk organised criminals are engaged in illegal wildlife trade, the Agency will lead, support or coordinate an appropriate level of response.

Shops: Antisocial Behaviour

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has issued to local authorities and police forces on the use of community protection notices to tackle shops that persistently (a) sell prohibited goods to underage persons and (b) sell smuggled or counterfeit tobacco.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Shops: Antisocial Behaviour

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has issued to local authorities and police forces on the use of closure orders to tackle shops that persistently (a) sell prohibited goods to underage persons and (b) sell smuggled or counterfeit tobacco.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

LGBT People

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle transphobia in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The cross-Government action plan on hate crime outlines the areas in which we are taking action. In particular, we are encouraging people who are victims of hate crime to report it in order to better focus resources to tackle its causes. In 2013-14, 555 transgender hate crimes were recorded by the police, an increase of 54% from 361 recorded in 2012-13.Since the action plan was launched, the Government has also amended section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to include transgender-identity in the suite of aggravating factors, whereby courts have the power to increase the sentence length for crimes motivated by hostility towards the victim based on a personal characteristic. In addition, the Government held a national seminar in November 2012 of transgender organisations to identify ways of improving communications and to increase reporting. In April, the Crown Prosecution Service launched educational resources for schools to address hostility towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

LGBT People

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests there have been in (a) Lambeth, (b) Greater London and (c) the UK related to transphobic hate crime since 2010; and how many such arrests have led to prosecution.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not collect information to this level of detail. The Home Office collects arrest data at offence group level by police force area.The Home Office collects data on the number of offences recorded by police that involve transgender hate crime as part of a special collection, but this does not include details on arrests or prosecutions.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2014 to Question 204393, when she intends to bring forward legislative proposals to implement a ban on the testing of household products on animals.

Lynne Featherstone: It is my intention to implement a ban on the testing of household products on animals before May 2015.

John Anslow

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what dates officers in Staffordshire police force travelled to Northern Cyprus in connection with the investigation into John Anslow's escape from lawful custody; and which airport these officers flew (a) into and (b) out of on those visits.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

British Nationality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when a constituent of the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish, Mr Edward Francis Temple Inglis, of Dukinfield, Greater Manchester (Home Office reference: J1960269), will have his citizenship application of 16 June 2014 decided upon.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the hon. Member separately on this individual case on 19 December 2014.

Police

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether special constables and police volunteers are allowed to serve with the police if they become hon. Members.

Mike Penning: It is for individual chief constables to decide whether a Member of Parliament (MP) can serve as a special constable or a police volunteer. To inform their decision, Chief constables must have regard to guidance originally issued by the National Policing Improvement Agency and now owned by the College of Policing on the eligibility of special constables, which clearly states that they must take into consideration whether a special constable's involvement in party politics is such as to prejudice their role as a police officer. In addition, Chief Constables must have regard to the College of Policing Code of Ethics, which sets out the principles and standards of behaviour we expect to see from police professionals.

Criminal Investigation: Cyprus

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements are in place for UK police forces to investigate criminal suspects in Northern Cyprus.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Greater London

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent (a) police officers and (b) police staff were employed (i) overall and (ii) per 1,000 of the population in each London local authority in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2013-14.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.Figures at local authority level ceased to be collected from 2011/12 onwards.Police officer and police staff figures for the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police as a whole are published each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical release, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.

John Anslow

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what airports police officers investigating the escape of John Anslow used on their (a) outward and (b) inward bound flights to Cyprus in 2013.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Human Trafficking: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of victims of child sexual trafficking in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Referral Mechanism was established in 2009 and is managed by the National Crime Agency’s UK Human Trafficking Centre. The Centre uses the mechanism to collect data on potential victims of trafficking, including a breakdown of child referrals by type of exploitation. The published data for the number of minors referred to the NRM as potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation are not broken down by local authority area, but by first responder in each case, which may be a charity, police force, agency or local authority.Statistics are published on the National Crime Agency website: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticsArchived statistics are published on the National Archives website: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130703102353/http:/www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc/national-referral-mechanism/statistics

Criminal Investigation: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria must be met before a police officer is permitted to travel abroad to investigate people suspected of criminal offences in their force's area.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Extradition

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements can be made for removing suspected criminals to the UK to stand trial in the absence of an extradition treaty between the UK and the host country.

James Brokenshire: The UK may make an extradition request to a country with which it does not have an extradition treaty for a person who is accused or convicted of an offence in the UK.

Radicalism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) people and (b) children have been referred to the Channel anti-radicalisation programme since its inception; and how much that programme has cost to date.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Antisocial Behaviour: Internet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of police time is spent dealing with complaints of online abuse and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints of abuse and anti-social behaviour originating from social media have been dealt with by the police in the last year; and what proportion of police time this figure represents compared to time spent on (a) all abuse and anti-social behaviour complaints and (b) all complaints to the police.

Mike Penning: This information is not held centrally. Operational decisions about the use of resources are a matter for Chief Constables, to be decided in conjunction with their democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners, and in line with local priorities.

Mental Illness: Police Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to train police officers to spot signs that those in their custody may have mental health problems.

Mike Penning: It is the duty of each Chief Constable to ensure that their police officers aresufficiently trained to perform their duties, including being able to identifyand deal appropriately with those who may have mental ill health.The College of Policing provides national training and learning resources covering mental health, detention, restraint and the vulnerability of individuals.This training is provided through the national police curriculum and nationallearning resources are provided to police officers and staff in all Home Officeforces.To support police officers to spot the signs that those in their custody may have mental health issues this government has introduced Street Triage and Liaison and Diversion schemes, which see mental health practitioners workingwith frontline police officers both in the community and within police custody suites. Many police forces are reporting the impact of street triage both in terms of police officer time and a reduction in the use of section 136 of the Mental Health Act. West Midlands force reported that section 136 detentions had decreased from 613 to 295 (over 50%) and 12 full time police officers or 17, 600 hours of officer time had been saved. In addition, the government has published a review into sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act and launched the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat (with every area of England and Wales now having signed the declaration) to help improve the way the police and their partners deal withpeople with mental health problems.As part of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat action plan, which was launched in February 2014, the College of Policing committed to reviewing the current police curriculum to ensure that sufficient guidance and training on mental health is available to police officers and staff. The revised guidance, or Authorised Professional Practice, will be subject to public consultation in the New Year, and a suite of new training products will also be developed.This government is committed to ensuring that those with mental health needs receive the care and support they need. We are taking action to reduce the use of police cells as a place of safety and working with partners to help those in crisis through healthcare, not police action.

UK Border Agency

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to increase the number of front-line staff employed to work at the UK border.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offences against Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Minister with cross-departmental responsibilities for child sexual exploitation has met groups of survivors of historic child abuse in the last 12 months.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radicalism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last conducted a review of the effectiveness of the Channel anti-radicalisation programme; and what form that review took.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travellers

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of the adoption by the police of ethnic category codes currently defined in the 2011 census in respect of the Roma, Gypsy and Traveller population as part of their collection of data in accordance with Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.

Mike Penning: The Census categories for ethnicity are assessed each year as part of the Home Office’s process of agreeing each year’s Annual Data Requirement (ADR) of mandatory collections of statistical data from the police. This process includes consultation with stakeholders of the Ministry of Justice biennial release Race and the Criminal Justice System, produced in accordance with section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991. The ADR collections currently use the Census 2001 ethnicity framework, and there are no plans at present to move to the Census 2011 framework, which would add a separate category of ‘Gypsy or Irish Traveller’

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 14 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Taher Ivasue.

James Brokenshire: A reply was sent on 19 December 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 13 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr M K Jaber.

Lynne Featherstone: The Minister for Criminal Information replied on 22 October 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter sent to the Minister of State for Policing in September 2014, reference BWC6181 by the hon. Member for Bournemouth West, on behalf of his constituent, Mr Robert Lee.

Mike Penning: The Minister of State for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims most recently received correspondence under this reference number on 8 November 2012, which was responded to on 26 November 2012. The Minister’s office has made arrangements to forward a copy of that response. There is no record of receiving any further correspondence under this reference number in September 2014. I would be grateful if the letter could be re-sent and I will respond within the required timeframe.

Proceeds of Crime

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many assets of criminal origin have been repatriated from the UK to jurisdictions overseas since 1 January 2014.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) legislative measures and (b) further reviews have been instigated as a result of the Arab Spring Asset Recovery Taskforce Review led by Michael Beloff; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the UK has imposed an asset freeze on an individual with reference to former regimes in the Arab Spring countries since the creation of the Arab Spring Asset Recovery Taskforce; what the value is of such assets; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Although no assets have been repatriated since 1 January 2014, there are a number of ongoing investigations and the UK authorities are assisting a number of overseas jurisdictions in their continuing efforts to recover criminal funds. In 2011, the EU adopted restrictive measures in view of the situations in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, including an asset freeze on funds and economic resources owned or controlled by designated persons and entities. These measures are implemented by EU Regulations, which have direct effect in the UK and are separate to those which enable the UK to restrain funds domestically for criminal or civil confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act. HM Treasury publishes the names of those subject to such EU financial sanctions on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK, which can be found on gov.uk. HM Treasury is unable to publicly release information about assets frozen in the UK or EU belonging to particular individuals due to restrictions imposed by EU and domestic law, both under sanctions and data protection legislation, as well as for reasons of confidentiality. The Serious Crime Bill will implement one of the key recommendations of the policy review undertaken by the Asset Recovery Task Force, by lowering the legal test required to secure a restraint order to freeze assets. Other recommendations of the review are to be delivered through the recently published UK Anti-Corruption Plan. These include the creation of a new central Bribery and Corruption Unit, bringing together resources from the National Crime Agency and those of the Metropolitan Police’s Proceeds of Corruption Unit, and the review of the Suspicious Activity Report regime

Asylum: Deportation

Mr Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers were deported in 2014; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The UK has a proud tradition of providing sanctuary to those fleeing persecution but we will seek to remove those not found to be in need of international protection. 5,259 failed asylum seekers departed from the UK in the first nine months of 2014. In every year of this Government more illegal migrants have left the UK than in any year before 2010.

Domestic Violence: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of domestic violence on children.

Karen Bradley: Domestic violence and abuse is sickening in any context and can have a particularly profound effect on children. The Government’s approach to tackling this appalling crime is laid out in the Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, refreshed in March 2014. The Action Plan sets out our commitment to develop the Troubled Families Programme to help families deal with a range of issues, including domestic violence and abuse.

Domestic Violence: Children

Mr Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of domestic violence on children.

Karen Bradley: Domestic violence and abuse is sickening in any context and can have a particularly profound effect on children. The Government’s approach to tackling this appalling crime is laid out in the Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, refreshed in March 2014.The Action Plan sets out our commitment to develop the Troubled Families Programme to help families deal with a range of issues, including domestic violence and abuse.

Female Genital Mutilation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation.

Lynne Featherstone: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an appalling crime. We are determined to stamp it out.At the Girl Summit, in July, the Prime Minister announced our intention to introduce mandatory reporting for this unacceptable practice. We are currently consulting on how best to introduce this new duty.Alerting the police to cases of FGM will allow them to investigate the facts and increase the number of perpetrators apprehended and prosecuted.

Mental Illness: Police Custody

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the police on holding children with mental health problems in police cells.

Mike Penning: It is not generally acceptable that anyone with mental health problems, and especially children, are held in police cells. We are clear that those who have committed no offence, and again especially children, should be taken to health based places of safety. Our recent review of the relevant powers recommends making it illegal to take under 18 year olds to police cells as a place of safety.

Northern Ireland Office

Parades Commission

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings she has had with members of the Parades Commission in the last two years.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I have had meetings with the Chair or members of the Parades Commission on twelve occasions during the course of the past two years.

Corporation Tax

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the devolution of corporation tax on Northern Ireland's block grant.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: If corporation tax is devolved to Northern Ireland, the Executive would be responsible for setting the rate in Northern Ireland. The potential effect on the block grant would therefore be dependent on the rate set by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Corporation Tax

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will publish an analysis of the potential effects of introducing a devolved rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: If corporation tax is devolved to Northern Ireland, the Executive would be responsible for setting the rate in Northern Ireland. The potential effect would therefore be dependent on the approach taken by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Corporation Tax

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to paragraph 1.103 of the Autumn Statement 2014, what discussions her Department had with the Chief Executive of Invest NI before the announcement of the possible devolution of corporation tax.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department has regular discussions with Invest NI on a range of issues including the possible devolution of corporation tax. A number of discussions took place with the Chief Executive both before and after the 2014 Autumn Statement.

Department of Health

Public Relations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) NHS England, (b) Public Health England, (c) Monitor and (d) the Care Quality Commission spent on public relations and communications staff in (i) each year since 2010 and (ii) 2014 to date.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Below are details of how much each of the four bodies has spent on public relations and communications staff since 2010 or from when the data are available.   To ensure consistency all organisations have provided data according to the following criteria for public relations (PR) and communications staff:   - Press and PR - Stakeholder relations - Campaigns (not behaviour change policy) - Digital Comms (not IT/digital service teams) - Internal Comms   (a) NHS England   On 1 October 2012, the functions of the Board Authority transferred to the NHS Commissioning Board (also known as NHS England), which was formally established as an executive non departmental public body. NHS England took on all of its statutory functions in April 2013. Figures have been given from 1 October 2012. NHS England2012/13(October – April)2013/14(April – March)2014/15(April – November)National Communications£253,963£584,419£1,040,240Communications in local areas £3,558,677£2,595,881NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) £325,265£461,232   (b) Public Health England (PHE)   PHE was formed on 1 April 2013 - figures from predecessor bodies are not provided.   Public Health England2013/142014/15(to November)PR and Communications staff expenditure£2,888,000£2,323,000   (c) Monitor   Monitor2010/11(April – December)2011/122012/132013/142014/15(to November)PR and Communications staff expenditure£398,973.20 £526,784.85£486,320.81£1,066,790.92£1,223,775.43   (d) Care Quality Commission (CQC)   CQC2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15(to November)PR and Communications staff expenditure£568,951£736,238£1,188,519£1,039,669£780,195

Disability Aids

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage health authorities to reclaim and re-use disability adaptations and equipment that are no longer required by clients.

Norman Lamb: National Health Service trusts have a responsibility for making the best use of all resources and items where they are safely and legally reusable and returnable. Policy on the return of equipment is a matter for each trust and should be clear in each trust’s Sustainable Development Management Plan.

Drugs: Licensing

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Off-patent drugs will be considered under the Early Access Scheme.

George Freeman: Off-patent drugs are those whose patent period has expired and consequently manufacturers may make available generic or non-branded versions of the products.   An “off-label” medicine is any medicine prescribed outside the terms of its licence (as set out in the prescribing information in the Summary of product Characteristics). Medicines legislation permits prescribers to prescribe a product outside the terms of its licence where they judge it to be in the best interests of the patient to address a medical need. For example to prescribe for a different use or to different category of patients but in doing so the prescriber takes personal responsibility for the treatment, inform the patient(s) of the licensing status of the product and obtain consent from the patient for its use.   The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) aims to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions access to medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation when there is a clear unmet medical need. Under the scheme, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will provide a scientific opinion on the benefit/risk balance of the medicine, based on the data available at the time of the EAMS submission. The scheme is voluntary and as such the MHRA is dependent on companies submitting potential products that may fulfil the EAMS criteria.   In the government response to the public consultation, it was confirmed that off-label supply of existing medicines would be eligible for the scheme, but only if they meet the EAMS criteria. Thus companies can submit an application to the EAMS for a new indication for an already marketed drug (which may be off patent).

NHS 111

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 111 NHS telephone service on attendance at hospital accident and emergency departments.

Jane Ellison: NHS 111 providers across England conduct patient follow up surveys on the NHS 111 service. The results for the year ending September 2014 showed that 30% of patients said they would have used accident and emergency services if they had not contacted NHS 111. This compares with a national rate of 8% of NHS 111 calls answered that directed patients to accident and emergency services.   These results indicate that in a high proportion of cases NHS 111 has been effective in offering patients a service choice which, if followed, would direct more cases to non-emergency services than if NHS 111 was not available.   There is a very active programme of work involving NHS England, working with local commissioners and NHS 111 providers, to improve referrals to alternative services. This programme is starting to see more patients who call NHS 111 directed to services for a lower acuity.

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of Individual Funding Requests for cancer medicines were approved in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

George Freeman: Prior to April 2013, Individual Funding Requests were administered through primary care trusts and information on the numbers of such requests was not collected centrally.   Since April 2013, cancer medicines are either routinely commissioned by NHS England or funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund.   NHS England publishes quarterly information on the number of individual Cancer Drugs Fund applications, including those refused by the Cancer Drugs Fund panel. This information is available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Individual Funding Request process for cancer medicines.

George Freeman: We have made no such assessment.   Since April 2013, cancer medicines are either routinely commissioned by NHS England or funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).   Individual applications to the Fund are handled in line with NHS England’s CDF Standard Operating Procedure, which is at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sop-cdf-1114.pdf   NHS England has advised that CDF panel members receive training to ensure they are up to date and working effectively. Panels are also occasionally observed to check their effectiveness.

Drugs

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what medicines the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (a) has evaluated and (b) intends to evaluate using the highly specialised technologies process; and what medicines his Department is planning to refer to NICE for assessment through that process.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to evaluate the following treatments under its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme:   Assessment titleAnticipated publication dateAtypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome - eculizumabJanuary 2015Gaucher disease (type 1) - eliglustatAugust 2015Mucopolysaccharidosis (type IVA) - elosulfase alfaOctober 2015Paediatric-onset hypophosphatasia - asfotase alfaOctober 2015   NICE has not yet issued any final guidance through this programme.   A number of other medicines are being considered for referral to NICE’s HST programme through the established topic selection arrangements. Information on these is currently commercially confidential and cannot be released at this stage.

Tobacco: Packaging

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between him, Ministers of his Department, officials of his Department and the European Commission on the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations, as notified by the UK Government to the Commission on 29 August 2014.

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he, Ministers or officials of his Department have had with the European Commission on the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Product Regulations, as notified by the Government to the Commission on 29 August 2014.

Jane Ellison: As the Government continues to consider carefully all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, the Department currently has no plans to place this information into the Library.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Innoculation to make a recommendation on whether all adolescent boys should be included in the national HPV vaccination programme.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the body that advises the government on all immunisation matters has set up a human papillomavirus (HPV) sub-committee to consider a number of key issues on HPV vaccination, including the routine vaccination of adolescent boys.   The HPV sub-committee will report its findings to the JCVI following consideration of work modelling the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to adolescent boys. We are advised that it is currently anticipated that a model being developed at Warwick University can be presented to the HPV sub-committee in the second half of 2015. A separate model being developed by Public Health England may not be completed until early 2017.   We are furthermore advised that the JCVI and sub-committee may need to consider both studies before taking a final view on the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to adolescent boys and may therefore not be in a position to do so before early 2017.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what prescriptions were dispensed in the community for the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of cardiovascular disease in (i) England and (ii) each local commissioning organisation in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman: Dispensed prescription data does not distinguish between medicines dispensed for prevention and treatment. Available data for the total number of prescription items written in England for cardiovascular medicines, as defined by British National Formulary Section Chapter 2, Cardivascular system, and dispensed in the United Kingdom, is attached.   The England level data has been extracted from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) database, administered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), and is provided for the 10 year period 2004-05 to 2013-14. As PCA data are not available for local commissioning organisations, these data have been extracted from the HSCIC’s iView online database, which is based on ePACT data. Information has been provided by primary care trust for the period 2008-09 to 2012-13. For 2013-14, data are provided at clinical commissioning group level, reflecting the National Health Service organisational changes in April 2013. Information prior to 2008-09 is not available. 



Prescription Data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 52.2 KB)

Cholesterol

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients have been recorded through the Quality and Outcomes Framework as having total cholesterol at 5mmol/l or less in (a) England and (b) each local commissioning organisation in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of patients on the four Quality and Outcomes Framework registers containing a measure of cholesterol is set out in the attached tables for England and for each clinical commissioning group/primary care trust in England. 



Cholesterol measure tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 274.55 KB)

Tobacco: Packaging

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any EU member state has objected to the European Commission about the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Product Regulations, as notified by the Government to the Commission on 29 August 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The following Member States provided detailed opinions; Romania, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain. Ireland provided a comment.   Further information about member states respondes can be found at:   http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris/en/search/?trisaction=search.detail&year=2014&num=427

Perinatal Mortality

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average incidence of stillbirths and linked infant deaths in England and Wales was in which all of the twins or triplets from the same pregnancy that remained after foetal reduction in either the first trimester or early in the second trimester subsequently died in infancy or were stillborn in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: This information is not collected centrally.

Autism

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with organisations representing health and care workers on the development of the draft statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy.

Norman Lamb: A number of events around the draft guidance for implementing the Adult Autism Strategy have taken place during the consultation period which began on 7 November and closed on 19 December 2014. These events included representatives of National Health Service provider and commissioning organisations.   In addition, the consultation was widely promoted to health and social care organisations, by third sector partners and through social media networks to reach a wide range of people and groups, including adults with autism, families and carers, and health and social care organisations that plan, commission and provide services for people with autism and their families.

Mental Health Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of victims of sexual assault or child sexual abuse on waiting lists for mental health support services in each region.

Norman Lamb: This data is not collected centrally.   However, it is a priority for the Government that mental health services are available to victims of sexual assault and abuse as and when they need them.   The Government has invested over £400 million in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, which provide trauma based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In September the Government published Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, which contains the first waiting time standards for mental health and sets out a standard to ensure treatment within six weeks for 75% of adults referred to the IAPT Programme, and for 95% of people within 18 weeks.   The Government has invested £54 million in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme over 2011-15/16, which is designed to improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies for children and young people.   The Government has also established the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, which is looking at how to improve access to services that are more responsive to children and young people’s needs. The Taskforce have set up a Task and Finish group to consider how mental health services can better reflect the needs of vulnerable children and young people, including children and young people who have particular mental health needs as a result of childhood sexual exploitation or abuse.

Dementia

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) improve the diagnosis rate of dementia, (b) shorten the waiting time between sufferers seeing their GPs and receiving a diagnosis and (c) ensure that sufferers receive continuing help with their condition; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: On 26 March 2012, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia. The Challenge sets the commitment to increase diagnosis rates, raise awareness and understanding and double funding for research for dementia by 2015.   As part of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia via the government’s mandate to NHS England, we have set the first ever national ambition to improve dementia diagnosis rates and post-diagnosis support. By March 2015, our aim is that two-thirds of people with dementia should have a diagnosis, with appropriate post-diagnosis support.   In February 2014, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced his ambition that anyone with suspected dementia should be seen by a memory service within six weeks, and NHS England identified that there was already £90 million in the system to support this. This ambition also highlighted the importance of high quality post-diagnosis support, including seamless care, with health and social care professionals working together to provide the best care and support.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many localities (a) have and (b) have not adopted the principles of the Crisis Care Concordat.

Norman Lamb: All localities in England have now signed up to and adopted the principles of the Crisis Care Concordat.

NHS Foundation Trusts

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) professionally-qualified clinical staff other than locum doctors, (b) doctors other than locum doctors and qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, (c) HCHS doctors other than locum doctors and (d) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff were employed in each NHS foundation trust in May (i) 2010 and (ii) 2014.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish monthly National Health Service workforce statistics. The information requested is set out in the attached table for the periods May 2010, May 2014 and September 2014, the latest month for which data is available. 



NHS Workforce Statistics
(Excel SpreadSheet, 40.07 KB)

NHS: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral evidence given by Richard Douglas, Director General, Finance and NHS, to the Health Committee on 9 December 2014, Questions 513-4, what assessment he has made of the potential effect that reducing Health Education England's budget to support the £2 billion additional funding for the frontline NHS in 2015-16 would have on the healthcare workforce.

Dr Daniel Poulter: All parts of the Department have been asked to make savings in their indicative budgets for 2015-16, including our arm’s length bodies. In the case of Health Education England we have been able to achieve this without affecting the numbers of National Health Service training places they will commission.

Thalidomide

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Questions 214952 and 214953, whether his letter to the German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth made representations urging the German government to make appropriate financial contributions to British victims of Thalidomide.

Norman Lamb: I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, asking if she would meet with the Trust but did not address the issue of financial contributions.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and which areas have a 111 service for mental health.

Jane Ellison: All NHS 111 areas receive mental health calls and there are algorithms within NHS Pathways, the clinical content used within NHS 111, to enable assessment with additional support from nurses. Some areas are piloting enhanced access to mental health practitioners, either within the NHS 111 call centre or by transferring to teams outside. These are being supported through an NHS 111 Learning and Development Phase 2 programme with the aim of improving the accessibility and quality of response for mental health service users.

Health and Social Care Information Centre

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will implement the National Inclusion Health Board's recommendations to the Health and Social Care Information Centre to use the 2011 census ethnic category classification in national data collection.

Jane Ellison: We are continuing to explore ways of improving the capture of ethnicity data in National Health Service data collections, as recommended by the Board.   NHS England will be producing a position paper in early 2015 on equality and health inequalities data monitoring. The paper will assess the data collection process with regard to individuals’ equality and health inequalities characteristics taking account of the 2001 and the 2011 ONS Census ethnicity questions. Inclusion Health groups would be considered as part of this exercise.   Work on information standards for equality data monitoring is being led by NHS England, in partnership with key stakeholder organisations through the national Equality and Diversity Council. The Council will look towards ratifying data monitoring information standards covering the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including ethnicity.

Cholesterol

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what prescriptions have been dispensed in the community for the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of high cholesterol in (i) England and (ii) each local commissioning organisation in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman: Dispensed prescription data does not distinguish between medicines dispensed for prevention and treatment. Available data for the total number of prescription items written in England for cardiovascular medicines, as defined by British National Formulary Section 2.12 Lipid-regulating drugs, and dispensed in the United Kingdom, is attached.   The England level data has been extracted from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) database, administered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), and is provided for the 10 year period 2004-05 to 2013-14. As PCA data are not available for local commissioning organisations, these data have been extracted from the HSCIC’s iView online database, which is based on ePACT data. Information has been provided by primary care trust for the period 2008-09 to 2012-13. For 2013-14, data are provided at clinical commissioning group level, reflecting the National Health Service organisational changes in April 2013. Information prior to 2008-09 is not available. 



Prescription Data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 51.83 KB)

Cholesterol

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what hospital prescriptions have been used in the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of high cholesterol in (i) England and (ii) each local commissioning organisation in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman: The available data, hospital dispensing information (HPAI) provided by IMS Health, does not distinguish between medicines used for prevention and treatment. Neither does it provide a breakdown at sub-national level for local commissioning organisations. The available data records usage in terms on volume dispensed.   The following table provides information on high cholesterol medicines, as defined by British National Formulary (BNF) Section 2.12 Lipid-regulating drugs, for hospitals in England, covering the 10 year period 2004-05 to 2013-14.   Volume of cholesterol medicines dispensed in hospitals in England, as defined by BNF Section 2.12YearVolume of packs (000’s)2004-051,077.32005-061,170.92006-071,198.82007-081,214.02008-091,299.82009-101,326.62010-111,266.22011-121,196.12012-131,199.12013-141,202.7 Source: HPAI   Note that the volume of packs figures for hospitals are not comparable with the number of prescription items dispensed in the community.

NHS England

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the judgment of 21 November 2014 by Mr Justice Popplewell on NHS England's compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2012, what guidance he plans to give to NHS England on their obligation to consult patients; if he will introduce mandatory public consultation training; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Mandate to NHS England sets out the Government’s commitment to supporting improved outcomes for patients, including by responding to their needs and preferences. We also expect NHS England to meet its obligations under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.   It is for NHS England to decide what training and guidance is required to ensure that commissioners involve patients appropriately in decisions.

Blood: Contamination

Dame Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on dealing with claims for compensation by haemophiliacs given contaminated blood provided by the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Work on what can be done to improve the system of support for those affected by HIV or hepatitis C through historic treatment with NHS supplied blood or blood products is ongoing. We also wish to consider the final report of Lord Penrose’s Public Inquiry in Scotland before making a statement on the way forward.

Social Services

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many households were in receipt of adult social care services in each English local authority in 2013-14.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not available centrally. Data is collected on the number of individuals receiving care and support. Information is not collected on how many of these individuals are in the same household.   The numbers of individuals in receipt of local authority provided adult social care services in England in 2013-14 by local authority is detailed in the attached table. This information is available at:   www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=16628&topics=1%2fSocial+care%2fSocial+care+activity&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1#top 



Adult social care services by LA in 2013-14
(Word Document, 18.7 KB)

Social Services

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent per capita on adult social care services in each English local authority in 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Norman Lamb: Net spent per capita on adult social care services in each English local authority is detailed in the attached table.   



Net current expenditure for all adult social care
(Word Document, 227 KB)

Hereditary Diseases

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency among (a) practitioners and (b) the public.

Jane Ellison: Raising awareness of all rare diseases amongst practitioners and the public, including very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, is a commitment in the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England to implement this commitment.

Mental Health Services: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much in (a) cash and (b) real terms was spent on child and adolescent mental health services in (i) Warrington and (ii) the North West per person in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: Information is not available in the format requested, as children and young people with mental health problems are provided with treatment by a wide range of services and organisations and in a variety of settings.   The figures below outline the aggregated primary care trust (PCT) spend on child and adolescent mental health services in Warrington and the North West in the last five years. This however, is not representative of all spending on treating mental health problems in children and young people, as figures do not include:   - spend by local authorities, including children’s services and schools’ expenditure on early intervention or emotional resilience programmes - £54 million invested by the Department over the four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15 in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme. - The £150 million investment over five years for NHS England in child and adolescent mental health services including services for the treatment of eating disorders announced in the Autumn Statement in December.   Table 1: Warrington PCT expenditure on Mental Health Disorders – Child and Adolescent  £ million (cash)£ million (real, 2013-14 prices2008-091.511.672009-103.233.502010-111.371.442011-123.393.512012-133.603.67   Table 2: North West Strategic Health Authority expenditure on Mental Health Disorders – Child and Adolescent  £ million (cash)£ million (real, 2013-14 prices)2008-0989.0498.932009-1091.1998.762010-1182.8387.292011-1293.4396.732012-1395.8497.60   Source: Programme Budgeting Data, NHS England   Notes:  The figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest £million.   Programme budgeting returns are based on a subset of PCT accounts data and represent a subset of overall NHS expenditure data.   Calculating programme budgeting data is complex and not all healthcare activity or services can be classified directly to a programme budgeting category or care setting. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a programme budgeting category, expenditure is classified as ‘Other’. Expenditure on General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services cannot be reasonably estimated at disease specific level, and is separately identified as a subcategory of ‘Other’ expenditure.   The allocation of expenditure to programme budgeting subcategories is not always straightforward, and subcategory level data should therefore be used with caution.   In order to improve data quality, continual refinements have been made to the programme budgeting data calculation methodology since the first collection in 2003-04. The underlying data which support programme budgeting data are also subject to yearly changes. Programme budgeting data cannot be used to analyse changes in investment in specific service areas between years. Users of the data should note that significant changes to the data calculation methodology were introduced in 2010-11.   Figures for years 2003-04 to 2009-10 are calculated using provider costs as a basis. Figures for 2010-11 to 2012-13 are calculated using price paid for specific activities and services purchased from healthcare providers. PCTs follow standard guidance, procedures and mappings when calculating programme budgeting data.   PCT figures used to calculate 2010-11 data differ from those previously published in the 2010-11 programme budgeting benchmarking spreadsheet. This is due to the correction of errors identified for five PCTs for this year.   Aggregate PCT data supersede previously published England level programme budgeting data. England level data incorporated estimates of expenditure on healthcare conditions for the Department of Health, Strategic Health Authorities and Special Health Authorities. England level data is no longer published this data as aggregate PCT figures provide a more accurate and meaningful representation of the breakdown of NHS expenditure by healthcare condition.   For 2003-04, figures are based on PCT net expenditure. For 2004-05 onwards, figures are based on PCT spend on own population. This is calculated by adjusting net expenditure to add back expenditure funded from sources outside the NHS and to deduct expenditure on other PCT populations incurred through lead commissioning arrangements.

Ambulance Services: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions people in Warrington were transported to hospital in police vehicles because an ambulance was not available or did not arrive in a reasonable time in each of the past five years.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not collected.

Health Visitors

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many additional full-time equivalent health visitors have been recruited since 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Latest figures (September 2014) show there are 2,708 more full time equivalent health visitors than the May 2010 baseline, making a total of 10,800 full time equivalents.   Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

Autism

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage NHS foundation trusts to follow the statutory guidance implementing the adult autism strategy.

Norman Lamb: The guidance for implementing the adult autism strategy for the NHS and local authorities is statutory. Therefore, NHS foundation trusts are expected to follow the guidance and the Department will be working with NHS England and other stakeholders to ensure it is widely disseminated and followed in the NHS.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an audit of the board members of clinical commissioning groups who have a financial interest in healthcare providers for potential conflicts of interest.

Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are autonomous organisations. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out clear requirements of CCGs to make arrangements in their constitutions for managing conflicts of interest, to ensure the transparency and integrity of their decision-making processes.   Each CCG’s constitution sets out the arrangements made by the CCG to exercise its functions, and must include the arrangements made for discharging its duties with regard to registers of interests and managing conflicts of interest.   NHS England published guidance for CCGs on managing conflicts of interest in March 2013. CCGs must have regard to such guidance.   A copy of NHS England’s guidance to CCGs - Managing conflicts of interests: Guidance for Clinical Commissioning groups is attached. 



CCG Guidance
(PDF Document, 600.93 KB)

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the change in annual transaction costs in the NHS as a result of implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department’s use of the term ‘Transaction costs’ relates to those costs paid in support of National Health Service provider transactions such as mergers, acquisitions or separations. Specifically, they are the costs of planning, preparing and undertaking the transaction itself and achieving contractual close.   The Department does not make estimates of these costs. Transaction costs are considered by the Department on a case by case basis in the context of the overall value for money of the wider transaction.

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the annual costs of the new central institutions established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Two new central institutions were established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012: Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service Commissioning Board. In addition, the reforms associated with the Act led to the establishment of Health Education England (HEE) and the National Health Service Trust Development Authority.   Administration costs across the health system in 2014-15 are a third lower than in 2010-11. The reforms as a result of the Health and Social Care Act have delivered annual savings in excess of £1.5 billion.   The annual administration cost of these organisations is set out in Table 1.   ADMINISTRATION COSTS2012-132013-142014-15 Annual costsBudget £ million£ million£ millionNHS Commissioning Board (excluding clinical commissioning groups)43.40663.00466.00Public Health England 138.70127.60Health Education England2.6980.3181.90NHS Trust Development Authority2.4027.1931.88Total48.49909.20707.38   Full costs associated with these organisations are published in their Statutory Accounts.

Prisons: Drugs

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical interventions for opioid dependence there were in prisons in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; and what proportion of such interventions were (i) maintenance prescriptions and (ii) detoxification treatments.

Norman Lamb: Data on drug treatment in prisons is now collected by the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). Figures for clinical interventions for opioid dependence in prisons for 2013-14 are presented in the following table. Data collection started in 2011-12 but 2013-14 is the first year for which robust and accurate data is available.   TotalOpioid reduction%Opioid maintenance%43,37213,65531.4829,71768.5   National clinical guidance recommends that prisoners on sentences of less than six months receive methadone or buprenorphine maintenance as their first line treatment to enable them to engage in treatment upon release. Most offenders receiving drug treatment in prison are there for three months or less, either serving short sentences or on remand for a few weeks and not in the system long enough to complete a structured drug treatment programme.   The guidance also reflects the drive towards a more recovery-orientated approach and, as a result, unless there are clinical reasons to the contrary, prisoners serving a sentence of more than six months will be expected to work towards becoming drug free.   Prisoners with drug misuse problems present a high risk of suicide and self-harm in the first weeks of custody and are particularly vulnerable to overdose on release. In these circumstances, it is good clinical practice to continue the treatment the prisoner was receiving before arrest, or to prepare them for the treatment they will receive on release. For opiate users, this will often mean that maintenance prescribing is the appropriate treatment response.

Social Services

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change was in expenditure per head of population aged 65 and over on adult social care services in each English local authority in 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Norman Lamb: Data on expenditure per head of population aged 65 and over on adult social care services is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The attached table provides the net current expenditure per head of population who receive adult social care aged 65 and over, broken down by local authority and year. The last column shows the percentage change between 2009-10 and 2013-14. 



Over 65 LA expenditure
(Word Document, 34.64 KB)

NHS: Finance

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on front-line NHS services of the ring-fence on NHS spending.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Government has taken tough decisions in order to protect the National Health Service budget in the face of the ongoing fiscal challenge.   The Autumn Statement announced further funding of £1.98 billion for frontline NHS services in England in 2015-16. Funding will therefore be £16 billion higher in cash terms in 2015-16 than in 2010-11, which equates to an increase of £6.8 billion in real terms.   Coupled with significant efficiency improvements – with savings of £15 billion reported over the last three years – this has enabled the NHS to continue to meet rapidly rising demands whilst improving the quality of care.   Compared to 2009-10, in 2013-14 there were 8,300 more doctors and 1,300 more nurses supporting 6.1 million more outpatient attendances, 3.6 million more diagnostic tests, 1.3 million more accident and emergency attendances and 1.1 million more hospital admissions. The Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 55,000 patients, healthcare associated infections have halved and mixed sex accommodation breaches have reduced by 98% since 2010.   The additional funding announced in the Autumn Statement underlines the priority the Government places on the NHS. It will enable the NHS to continue to meet rapidly rising demand in the short term while also providing significant investment for new models of care in order to make the vision set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View a reality and to place the NHS on a sustainable footing for the long term.

Pregnancy Tests

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry among those chosen to sit on the hormone pregnancy test review panel.

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has received from Schering/Bayer on the safety of hormone pregnancy tests.

George Freeman: Potential members of the Expert Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests will be asked to declare any interests (financial or non-financial) in relevant pharmaceutical companies or in any other area that could affect their impartiality. All experts’ interests will be carefully considered to determine their suitability for membership on the Group. Members will be asked again about potential interests in the meetings to decide on the appropriate level of participation in discussions.   The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA, in its capacity as the arm’s length body of the Department of Health with responsibility for the regulation of medicinal products) has no record of any representations from Schering/Bayer on the safety of hormone pregnancy tests since they were withdrawn in 1978. The MHRA is has asked all companies which marketed hormonal pregnancy tests to fully disclose the research evidence and test results they hold for inclusion in the review.

Fibromyalgia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2014 to Question 211202 what steps he is taking to (a) improve support for people with fibromyalgia and (b) increase public awareness of that condition.

Norman Lamb: Although there is no cure for fibromyalgia, some treatments can ease symptoms and support improved quality of life for patients. The treatments offered will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but may include: pharmacological pain relief; physiotherapy; dietary and exercise advice; counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy; and self-management programmes which aim to give patients the skills and confidence to manage their conditions more effectively. There are also a number of National Health Service trusts that offer specialist fibromyalgia clinics, such the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, which patients can access on referral from the clinician responsible for their care.   We know that early diagnosis is the key to improving outcomes across many conditions. Detailed information about fibromyalgia, including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options, suitable for newly diagnosed patients, is available on the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk.

NHS: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made towards a paperless NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: NHS England’s Patient Online programme team has been working closely with practices across England to ensure they have the support they need to confidently offer these online services. From April 2015 the General Medical Services/Personal Medical Services contracts require all practices to offer and promote online booking of appointments, ordering of repeat prescriptions access to summary information within patient records (allergies, medications, adverse reactions) to patients. Practices may also offer access to any other items of data agreed between the patient and the practice, such as test results, immunisations, consultations. Progress as of September 2014:   - 99% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to book or cancel appointments online.   - 91% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to book or cancel appointments online. This is up from 64% at the same point in the previous year.   - 98% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to view or order repeat prescriptions online.   - 88% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to view or order repeat prescriptions online. This is up from 64% at the same point in the previous year.   - 84% of general practices have the capability to allow patients to view their medical record online.   - 21% of patients are registered with general practices that offer the ability to view their medical records online. This is an increase against 2% at the same point in the previous year.

Prisoners: Infectious Diseases

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prisons in England have adopted a system of opt-out blood-borne virus testing.

Norman Lamb: Blood Borne Virus opt-out testing is expected to be implemented across the whole adult prison estate in England by end of the financial year 2016-17.   To date over 20 prisons in the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West have either fully adopted the opt-out blood-borne virus testing system or are very close to adopting it fully. A further 15 prisons aim to implement the policy early in the New Year.

Prisons: Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for prisoners in England between referral and commencement of treatment for (a) hepatitis C and (b) HIV.

Norman Lamb: This information was not routinely collected prior to April 2014.   Public Health England, NHS England and the National Offender Management Service have co-produced a new health service evaluation tool for use in adult prisons in England called the Health and Justice Indicators of Performance (HJIPs).   The HJIPs were introduced in June 2014 and data will be collected against these indicators retrospectively from April 2014. Data will be collected on waiting times from diagnosis to assessment by specialist services for those infected with hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus. However, because the system needs time to establish new baselines and consistent use of new data definitions, valid and reliable data are not expected to be published before summer 2015-16.

Dementia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with dementia in each year since May 2010.

Norman Lamb: The number of people recorded on practice disease registers is available in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The numbers of diagnoses are not available but the numbers of people on the dementia register is shown in the table below. This is a measure of prevalence rather than incidence.   Number of patients on the QOF dementia register in EnglandNumber of PracticesSum of List SizesDementia Register Counts31 March 20147,92156,324,887348,97331 March 20138,02056,012,096318,66931 March 20128,12355,525,732293,73831 March 20118,24555,169,643266,69731 March 20108,30554,836,561249,463

Self-harm: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) boys and (b) girls aged between 10 and 17 have been admitted to hospital for self-harm in each year since May 2010.

Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data is collected according to the financial year from April to March.   Data for how many boys and girls between 10 and 17 who have been admitted to hospital for self-harm each year since April 2010 is outlined in the table below. Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)1 with a cause code of self harm2 for patients aged 10-17 for the years 2010-11 to 2012-13. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector  2010-112011-122012-13 Age (years)BoysGirlsBoysGirlsBoysGirls 108713132911 11254435333951 12642655125864329 131009001359281521,186 142842,1712452,1152842,479 155672,9604992,8045593,434 166482,5005582,2285442,464 178302,4907392,4287152,277Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   This data should not be interpreted as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Reference should be made to the notes when interpreting the data.   In January 2014 the Government launched the Mental Health Action Plan, Closing the Gap: Priorities for essential change in mental health. Of the 25 actions in the plan, one offers a commitment to change the way front line services respond to self-harm and to ensure that no-one experiencing a mental health crisis should ever be turned away from services.   In the revised Public Health Outcomes Framework we have introduced a new indicator that is specifically about self-harm. Under this indicator, we will measure:   - attendances at emergency departments for self-harm per 100,000 population - percentage of attendances at emergency departments for self-harm that received a psychosocial assessment.   This two-part indicator helps us not only understand the prevalence of self-harm but also how emergency departments are responding. This information can then inform future commissioning.   The Department has invested £54 million into the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (CYP IAPT) over 2011-15/16. The CYP IAPT programme is designed to improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies for a range of issues, including self-harm, and the CYP IAPT curriculum includes training in evidence-based treatments for young people who self-harm.   In December the Government announced an investment of £30 million per year from 2015-16 to 2019-20 to improve services for children and young people with mental health problems. This includes improving access for young people who self-harm to services in their communities with properly trained teams, making hospital admission a last resort.   The Government is also investing £30 million in 2015-16 to improve psychiatric liaison in general hospitals. This will help to ensure young people who present at hospital after self-harming that could be the result of an underlying mental health condition are referred for assessment.   Notes:   Data is not available on the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.   1Finished admission episodes. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.   2Cause Code. A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The cause codes used to identify episodes of self-harm were:   A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES.   The cause codes used to identify episodes of self-harm were:   X60 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to nonopioid analgesics, antipryretics and antirheumatics X61 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsom and psychotropic drugs, note elsewhere classified X62 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified X63 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other drugs acting on the automatic nervous system X64 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances X65 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X66 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours X67 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other gases and vapours X68 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to pesticides X69 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances X70 - Intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation and suffocation X71 - Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion X72 - Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge X73 - Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge X74 - Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge X75 - Intentional self-harm by explosive material X76 - Intentional self-harm by smoke, fire and flames X77 - Intentional self-harm by steam, hot vapours and hot objects X78 - Intentional self-harm by sharp object X79 - Intentional self-harm by blunt object X80 - Intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place X81 - Intentional self-harm by jumping or lying before moving object X82 - Intentional self-harm by crashing of motor vehicle X83 - Intentional self-harm by other specified means X84 - Intentional self-harm by unspecified means

Cancer: Drugs

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish the (a) list of respondents and (b) responses received to its consultation on changes to the Standard Operating Procedures for the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that it has no plans to publish the list of individual respondents or the actual responses received in response to its consultation on changes to the Standard Operating Procedures for the Cancer Drugs Fund.   189 responses were received and these have been reviewed in detail to develop the consultation report which is published on NHS England’s website at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/cdf-consult-rep.pdf

NHS: Drugs

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what process is in place to co-ordinate the review of the evaluation of cancer drugs led by Bruce Keogh and the Freeman review into innovative medicines and medical technology.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that representatives from NHS England, the Department of Health, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, ten key cancer charities, and the pharmaceutical industry met on 4 December 2014, to discuss the future of cancer drugs commissioning. They have committed to establishing a working group, to meet early in the new year, to develop a robust process to support the sustainable long-term commissioning of cancer drugs.   The external review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices. We are still establishing the processes by which the review will link with other pieces of work in progress and we expect the review will be able to take account of the work NHS England is coordinating on the commissioning of cancer drugs.

South West

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what identifiable expenditure his Department has spent on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in each year since 2007-08.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Net operating costs for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) for 2007-08 to 2012-13, and National Health Service Kernow for 2013-14 are as follows:   NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group   Financial Year£000’s2013-14688,724   Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT (5QP)   Financial Year£000’s2012-13957,9912011-12925,1322010-11905,4422009-10858,5102008-09800,1532007-08752,115

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Further Education: Ethnic Groups

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to increase representation of ethnic minorities in the further education workforce.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is not the employer of the further education workforce. Further education providers are independent organisations responsible for all matters relating to the recruitment of their staff. In awarding grants or contracts, the Department does include within the terms and conditions of funding, a requirement that every provider must comply with relevant legislation. This includes being mindful of and meeting responsibilities laid out in the Equality Act 2010. Contracts and grants also pass on the Public Sector Equality Duty, which was introduced in April 2011, and describes equality responsibilities. The Education and Training Foundation was established in 2013 as the independent sector owned and led organisation. It is responsible for professionalism in further education and has Government endorsement. The Foundation is playing an active role in supporting the sector to address findings from further education workforce surveys and improve the diversity of the further education workforce.

Work Permits: Construction

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of revising the length of the validity of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card to match the length of validity of a relevant work permit.

Nick Boles: The Construction Skills Competency Card (CSCS) is not a Government scheme. The scheme is an industry-led initiative, which is managed and administered by the Construction Industry Training Board on behalf of the CSCS Management Committee.   Whilst the Government recognises the important contribution that these schemes make, any decision on the validity of cards rests with the CSCS Committee, which is made up of employer organisations and trade unions representing the breadth of the construction industry.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of plans to transfer apprenticeship funding to employers from further education providers on the budgets of those providers.

Nick Boles: Our apprenticeship reforms are designed to make all apprenticeships world class, so that the programme is rigorous, responsive, and meets the changing needs of business and the future economy. As part of our reforms, we are giving employers control of funding to make them more demanding customers of high-quality training, relevant to their needs.   Training providers make a vital contribution to apprenticeships and we want that to continue. Good providers already offer high-quality provision that is responsive to employers’ needs, which makes them well placed to be successful under any new arrangements. We recognise that these reforms represent a major change in the way that providers operate. The Skills Funding Agency, working with the Education and Training Foundation, Association of Colleges and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers are offering support and guidance to providers to help them prepare for the reforms. However, it will be for employers to decide who will help them deliver a high quality experience for their apprentices. We are trialling a new funding model in 2014/15 and intend to evaluate its impact before any funding system is fully implemented.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Further Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his speech of 3 July 2013 to the Local Government Association, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the three pilot schemes on closer partnerships between local enterprise partnerships and further education colleges in helping people acquire the skills required to get local jobs.

Nick Boles: The three pilots areas are the North East, Stoke and Staffordshire, and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnerships. Each area has developed their own bespoke approach to implementing the pilot in line with ensuring responsiveness to local priorities and the local relationships between stakeholders and skills providers. The pilots are in their first year of operation and it is too soon to draw conclusions about their effectiveness. Early indications, however, are that the pilots have promoted a more effective dialogue between business and providers in the different areas, with a greater shared understanding of the skills provision needed to support future economic growth.

Post Offices: Worcestershire

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many post offices were closed in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire (i) between 1997 and 2010 and (ii) between 2010 and 2015.

Jo Swinson: The Government understands the important role that post offices play in communities across the country and since 2010 has committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect a network of at least 11,500 branches that continues to meet strict access criteria that see, for example, 95% of the urban population living within one mile of a post office outlet. This Government has also committed that there will be no programme of Post Office closures. There are currently around 11,700 post office branches in the UK, with the Post Office network at its most stable for over two decades. The information requested is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited and I understand from the company that it does not hold information in the format requested. For your reference I include historic information on the number of open Post Office branches at national level and by the West Midlands Government Office region in the tables below:  Number of open post offices in the UK YearNumber of open Post Office branchesEnd of March 199719251End of March 201011905End of Sept 201411631Number of open post offices in West Midlands Government Office region (historic figures are only available from the year 2000)  YearNumber of open Post Office branchesEnd of March 20001479End of March 2010930End of Sept 2014904

Further Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people aged 24 years and older participated in Government-funded further education courses at all levels in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.

Nick Boles: Table 1 shows the number of people aged 24 years and older who participated in Government-funded further education courses at all levels in the last five academic years.   Table 1: 24+ FE & Skills Participation (2009/10 to 2013/14) – Learner Volumes  Funded Learners 2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Participation2,873,4002,515,1002,493,6002,583,1002,273,300   Notes 1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100; percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data. 2) Age is reported as at 31 August of the academic year and is based upon self-declaration by the learner. 3) The data source for this table is the Individualised Learner Record. 4) Figures for 2011/12 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as a Single Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data collection system has been introduced. Small technical changes have been made in the way learners from more than one provision type are counted, leading to a removal of duplicate learners and a reduction in overall learner numbers of approximately 2 per cent.

Apprentices: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217744, when his Department plans to write to level 2 and 3 apprenticeships in England informing them of their National Minimum Wage entitlement.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 18 December 2014



A letter is issued to all new level 2 and 3 apprentices in England on Government-funded apprenticeships, setting out what they can expect from their apprenticeship. This includes information on their national minimum wage entitlement.

Post Offices

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many post offices have been refurbished as a result of the Government's £2 billion investment in the Post Office Network since 2010 in (a) Worcester, (b) Worcestershire and (c) England.

Jo Swinson: The Government understands the important role that post offices play in communities across the country and since 2010 has committed nearly £2 billion to maintain, modernise and protect the network. This is an historic commitment, and is designed to ensure that the Post Office has a vibrant, successful and financially sustainable long-term future where is it less reliant on an annual taxpayer funded subsidy. The Post Office is undertaking the largest modernisation programme in its history and network transformation is seeing subpostmasters receiving public investment to improve their branches; delivering benefits to customers including longer opening hours, more convenient access and improved branch environments. To date over 3,500 branches have converted to the new Main and Local models and nearly 290 of the Post Office’s directly owned Crown post offices have benefitted from investment. The following table sets out the numbers of post offices that have received investment in the areas requested:Number of post offices thathave received investmentWorcester8Worcestershire32West Midlands Government Office Region302England3173

Construction

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on promoting Level 3 Building Information Modelling; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the application of the full potential of digital technology to construction and the built environment. Over the last year government and industry have been working together to develop a strategy to both define Level 3 BIM – the next phase of the technology – and to identify the key steps we will need to take to achieve the ambitions set out in the strategy. The strategy is in the final stages of completion and we hope to publish it in the new year.

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from his Department.

Jo Swinson: In 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills produced electronic cards at Christmas for Ministers and other senior officials that requested them. These are designed in-house and sent by e-mail, incurring no purchase or postage costs for the Department. This year’s list contained over 700 recipients in total. A copy of this list can be found in the attached table. 



List of Departmental Christmas card recipients.
(Excel SpreadSheet, 46.15 KB)

European Patent Office

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to protect the independence of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Officials in the UK Intellectual Property Office are closely and actively involved in discussions relating to the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO), including the Enlarged Board. It is the UK Government position that the Boards of Appeal should be independent of the executive of the EPO, and be seen to be so. This view is shared by other EPO member states and we expect proposals to make this clearer to be considered by the Administrative Council, the Office’s supervisory body, in March 2015.

ICT: North of England

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on TechNorth; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: TechNorth is progressing well. It was announced in October 2014 by the Deputy Prime Minister to bring together digital technology expertise across Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Hull and the North East tech cluster (Newcastle, Sunderland and the Tees Valley). It will form part of Tech City UK.   Since TechNorth’s announcement, Tech City UK has been engaging with the North's diverse technology sector to shape the scope of the initiatives TechNorth will offer. Tech City UK is currently recruiting for five positions for the programme, including the Head of TechNorth.   TechNorth will be operational by April.

Nuclear Power: Training

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made on establishing the national nuclear college.

Matthew Hancock: The nuclear industry is in detailed discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. A working group has been established and this group is working to ensure that proposals for the National College for Nuclear meets the higher level skills needs of the industry and that the new National Colleges fits within the existing networks for tackling skills shortages in the industry, including the National Skills Academy Nuclear and the Nuclear Industry Council Skills Workstream.

Nuclear Power

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the £60 million of funding for the National Nuclear Users Facility announced in the Autumn Statement will be used for.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will publish the apprentice pay survey for 2014 showing what apprentices are paid by age, gender, ethnicity, industry sector and apprenticeship level.

Jo Swinson: The 2014 Apprentice Pay Survey was published on .Gov.uk on 18 December 2014. The report shows levels of pay by age, gender, ethnicity, industry sector and apprenticeship level.

Minimum Wage

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 218516, if he will list the 55 employers his Department has named and shamed for the non-payment of the national minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: Details of the employers that have already been named under the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme can be found on the original press notices. Please see below for the dates when we have named the employers and the links to the press releases. 28 February 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-gets-tough-with-employers-failing-to-pay-minimum-wage 8 June 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-minimum-wage 27 November 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-names-employers-who-fail-to-pay-the-national-minimum-wage Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the Pay & Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HM Revenue & Customs investigate all complaints.

Insolvency: Regulation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to create an independent regulator to regulate insolvencies.

Jo Swinson: The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Bill (currently before the Other House) contains a reserve power which will allow the Secretary of State to designate a body to be the sole regulator for insolvency practitioners. We have made clear that we would only exercise this power if the other measures contained within this Bill do not succeed in improving confidence in this regulatory regime; and only with proper consultation and assessment of the costs and benefits.

Students: Tax Allowances

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many degree students were supported by employers in the most recent year for which figures are available; and in how many such cases tax relief was granted on the employer's costs.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Confederation of British Industry

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have contributed in annual membership fees to the Confederation of British Industry in each year since 2007.

Jo Swinson: Since 2007, the core Department has made no contributions in annual membership fees to the Confederation of British Industry.   Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   I have approached the Chief Executives of the Department’s Executive Agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to my Hon. Friend directly. 



Letters from Executive Agencies
(PDF Document, 1.13 MB)

Confederation of British Industry

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what payments (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have made to the Confederation of British Industry in each year since 2007; and what the purpose was of each such payment.

Jo Swinson: Since 2007, the core Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has made the following payments to the Confederation of British Industry:   2011 - £120 to cover costs of a training event for a BIS member of staff 2014 - £180 to cover costs of a training event for a BIS member of staff   In other years, no payments were made.   Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   I have approached the Chief Executives of the Department’s Executive Agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to my Hon. Friend directly. 



Letters from Executive Agencies
(PDF Document, 1.14 MB)

Post Offices

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of post offices on financial inclusion and the social value of maintaining the network.

Jo Swinson: Post offices play an important role in communities across the UK, acting as a community hub and making sure people have access to important services. The role of post offices in ensuring financial inclusion is becoming increasingly important. Post office operates 2,500 free-to-use ATMs across the UK and approximately 95% current accounts are accessible across post office counters in over 11500 branches across the UK. Post office is also increasing the range of financial services it offers to customers directly. I believe post offices have a key role to play in ensuring financial inclusion and their contribution in this area enhances the social value of the post office network itself. That is why Government has provided nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain, modernise and protect the network.

Ministry of Defence

Directors

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of his Department's executive board are (a) male and (b) female.

Michael Fallon: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



The Ministry of Defence does not have a formal Departmental executive board but the Head Office Management Group fulfils a similar function. This has 11 members, currently all male.

Kurds

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will estimate the cost of one week's mine clearing training by the Army for 40 members of the Peshmerga; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing (a) sharp shooting and (b) first aid training to Kurdish forces; which regiment will be providing that training; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



The Ministry of Defence is considering how it can best support coalition training of Kurdish forces. There are many variables that affect this such as the location, the type of training, the duration, whether force protection is required and the numbers to be trained. Current short term training is being conducted by the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment but this will change as other courses start and end. Therefore, we are still refining aspects of proposed training efforts; the costs of the activity will be available once this work has concluded

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what help his Department gives to servicemen and ex-servicemen to reduce levels of domestic violence.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 16 December 2014



The Department attaches considerable importance to tackling domestic violence. Our approach consists of two elements: ensuring that Service personnel understand the importance of preventing domestic violence and how best to do so; and raising awareness of the comprehensive range of help and information available to those experiencing violence. This includes single-Service specialist welfare providers, Families' Federations and help-lines. We recognise that the levels of stress felt by individuals following deployment can vary greatly and no two people will deal with their experiences in the same way. Service personnel returning from certain operational theatres are provided with a period of decompression to re-adjust in a graduated and controlled manner. This is one element of the complete Post Operational Stress Management package which improves the quality of homecoming by giving personnel the opportunity to talk through their experiences, as well as receive welfare briefings and have time to unwind. Advice is also available for families, drawing attention to what can be expected when serving family members return from operations. This includes information about signs of stress, behaviours to look for and how to get help if needed. Welfare officers, padres, and other associated organisations also provide information to families by email, and through support groups. Work is in hand to update Joint Service Publication 913, which sets out the tri-Service policy on domestic violence, to ensure there is a consistent approach across the three Services. Once an individual has left the armed forces additional support is available from Veterans UK, as well as national charities.

Clyde Naval Base

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports he has received of the sighting of a submarine periscope near HMNB Clyde.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



We do not discuss the detail of maritime operations such as these, as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Defence Equipment and Support

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) proportion and (b) number of staff working for his Department in the Defence Equipment and Support section in each year since 2010 had been trained militarily in the UK armed forces.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 December 2014



The proportion and number of staff working in Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) each year since 2010 who have been trained militarily in the UK Armed Forces is set out below.  Year (all figures as at1 April) 20102011201220132014Total DE&SHeadcount 21,81020,83018,59016,41012,470of which trained currently serving personnel(1)(2) 5,2604,7004,1803,6601,870proportion of those trained (1)(2) 24.1%22.6%22.5%22.3%15.0% (1) Trained personnel include all Full-time Trained UK Regular, Gurkha and Full-time Reserve Service personnel in the DE&S top level budget as recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system. From 2013 onwards this figure includes Civil Service personnel who are trained Reservists. (2) Trained is defined as military personnel who have completed Phase 1 and 2 training. Data on the number of civilian staff employed in DE&S who have previously been members of the UK Armed Forces is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are working for (a) Defence Equipment and Support, (b) the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and (c) the Defence Support Group.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 December 2014



The requested information is provided in the following table. UK Armed Forces personnel working in DE&S, DIO and DSG as at 1 October 2014 Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)1,620Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)240Defence Support Group (DSG)- ‘-’ Zero or rounded to zero. Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in 5 are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Afghanistan

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what British personnel have been based in Afghanistan since the conclusion of the British forces combat mission in that country.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 17 December 2014



As my right hon friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) said in the House on 27 November 2014, the UK's contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission will include 470 personnel who will remain in Kabul to help deliver the Train, Advise, Assist function within the Mission.



Hansard Extract 27 November 2014
(Word Document, 93 KB)

Territorial Waters

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the recent incursion of a Russian submarine into UK territorial waters is part of a wider pattern of increased activity; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: We do not comment on intelligence matters or media speculation relating to these.

Surveillance

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts about the UK's maritime surveillance capability gap.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 18 December 2014



 My right hon. Friend The Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) has not held any specific discussions with his NATO counterparts on the UK's maritime surveillance capability gap.

Russia

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has made to his Russian counterpart on increased activity of Russian aircraft in proximity to UK airspace.

Mr Mark Francois: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon), has mede no direct representations to his Russian counterpart on this issue. The Ministry of Defence strongly supports comments made by NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg calling on Russia to obey the norms of international air traffic. On 2 December 2014 Foreign Ministers agreed on the need to maintain NATO/Russia military-military channels to help ensure that Russian military flights, or naval activities, do not give rise to unintended accidents or escalation. NATO Defence Ministers are due to meet early next month for further discussion.

Future Large Aircraft

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce an initial operating capability for the A400M Atlas aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the first aircraft was delivered to RAF Brize Norton on 17 November 2014 with an inherent initial operating capability.

Procurement

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions (a) Capita Group plc, (b) Serco and (c) G4S have tendered for contracts let by his Department in each year since May 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number of occasions that Capita Group plc, Serco and G4S have tendered for contracts let by the Ministry of Defence in each year since May 2010 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Anna Soubry: Savings to the Ministry of Defence in the 12 months since the introduction of the Q&A system on 4 June 2014 are estimated to be £6,800, and in the five years from the introduction are estimated to be £34,000.No additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems were dependent on the introduction of the Q&A system.One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies.It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Babcock International

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements he plans to put in place for monitoring the performance of his Department's private sector partner Babcock, the preferred bidder for the privatisation of the Defence Support Group.

Mr Philip Dunne: Ministry of Defence (MOD) teams already monitor the performance of the Defence Support Group (DSG) Trading Fund. When Babcock, as the new owner of the DSG land business, commences operations on 1 April 2015, the MOD will review performance against a set of Key Performance Indicators and assure the quality of work on a regular basis against the agreed contractual performance measures.

Armed Forces: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of providing phase one basic training for the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2010.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 November 2014 to question number 214677.



Hansard Extracts 24 November and 11 September 2014
(Word Document, 32 KB)

Procurement

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tenders from (a) Capita Group plc, (b) Serco and (c) G4S for contracts let by his Department were successful in each year since May 2010; how much his Department paid to each of those companies for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2015 each company holds with his Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between his Department and each company.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with Capita Group, Serco and G4S, and their subsidiaries, is in the tables below. It excludes the MOD Trading Funds and purchase orders drawn off from pan-Government enabling contracts. Number of contracts awarded in each year  2010-112011-122012-132013-14Capita5330G4S2222Serco122401310 1Under longstanding convention, the Serco total includes contracts with AWE Plc, in which Serco holds a third share.  Payment to suppliers are published on a monthly basis at www.gov.uk.   Number of contracts that terminate after 2015  Number of contractsCapita13G4S2Serco139  Total value of outstanding contracts2  Total value £Capita1.1 billionG4S6.9 millionSerco14.2 billion 2The Serco value includes the company’s third share in contracts with AWE Plc.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration has been given to different future requirements for waterproofs of (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement.

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the future waterproofing requirements of the armed forces of (a) the UK and (b) other NATO member states; and if he will make a statement.

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether waterproofs procured under the Taped Seam Contract will be designed to be worn under or over body armour.

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Defence Equipment and Support plans to include a requirement for flame retardancy in future waterproof garments under the next Taped Seam Contract.

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Defence Equipment and Support plans to include a requirement for chemical and biological protection in future waterproof garments under the next Taped Seam Contract.

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what specifications the Taped Seam Contract will set out for future waterproofs; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence takes all measures possible to ensure that all clothing issued to service personnel is both right for the job and right for them. We apply rigorous technical specifications and quality standards which are reviewed regularly. These assessments include regular engagement with UK Front Line Commands and NATO to ensure appropriate products are obtained for UK Armed Forces.The new Waterproof Garments contract, commonly known as the Taped Seam Contract, includes the lightweight waterproof jacket, which can be worn under body armour; all other waterproof garments are designed to be worn without body armour.Although, currently, there is no identified requirement for chemical and biological protection or flame retardancy the new contract will include a design and development clause for future requirements.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times his Department has provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue assets for a search and rescue mission since 8 November 2013; and which aircraft were used in each case.

Mr Mark Francois: Information on the occasions when Ministry of Defence (MOD) aircraft have provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue (SAR) assets for a SAR mission is provided below: Year Number of SAR Missions 2013None2014*1 x C130 Hercules; 1 x E-3D Sentry *To 16 December 2014Aircraft provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or overseas governments may also be tasked by MOD to participate in rescue missions.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many rescues were co-ordinated by the Aeronautical Rescue and Coordination Centre in each of the last three years.

Mr Mark Francois: The total number of rescues coordinated across the UK by the Aeronautical Rescue and Coordination Centre (ARCC) in each of the last three years is shown below. PeriodTotal Incidents with Assets Tasked01 January 2011 - 31 December 20112,48801 January 2012 - 31 December 20122,38901 January 2013 - 31 December 20132,482 Data has been provided where assets were tasked to an incident. This does not include those calls to the ARCC where aeronautical search and rescue assets were not required or appropriate, or the incident was resolved prior to an asset being deployed. Assets tasked include military and civilian rotary aircraft, fixed wing aircraft, and mountain rescue vehicles.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the Government has received a request for assistance from a neighbouring state in accordance with sections 3.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue since 8 November 2013; and which search and rescue assets provided assistance on each such occasion.

Mr Mark Francois: Since 8 November 2013 the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre has had no direct requests for assistance from any neighbouring states.

Iraq

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will estimate how much has been spent by his Department on training the Iraqi Armed Forces since 2003.

Mr Mark Francois: We have not collated the cost of the UK Forces' programme of training Iraqi Armed Forces. This is because the costs of military operations are compiled in terms of the net additional costs incurred, not in terms of the individual tasks associated with those operations.

Military Aircraft: Training

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what involvement his Department has had in the negotiations between Ascent Flight Training, comprising Lockheed Martin and Babcock, and the Elbit Systems and KBR Affinity Team to provide fixed-wing aircraft training under the UK Military Flying Training Systems programme; when those negotiations are likely to be completed; how long he plans the contract for that training to last; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Responsibility for the selection of UK Military Flying Training System sub-contractors rests wholly with Ascent Flight Training, the Ministry of Defence's Training System Partner. Under the fixed-wing aircraft training competition, Ascent Flight Training will, subject to the satisfactory completion of commercial negotiations, place a direct sub-contract with the Affinity consortium to provide a training service until 2033. Contract award is anticipated early in 2015.

European Fighter Aircraft

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions since Typhoon aircraft were redeployed to RAF Lossiemouth from RAF Leuchars such aircraft were required to use Leuchars as a diversionary airfield; how many such aircraft were involved on each occasion; and what the reasons were for those diversions.

Mr Mark Francois: There has been one occasion, on 12 December 2014, when RAF Leuchars has been used as a diversionary airfield for Typhoon aircraft since their re-deployment to RAF Lossiemouth. A total of seven Typhoons diverted. The runway at RAF Lossiemouth was temporarily unavailable as a Typhoon, which had suffered a minor technical issue and engaged the runway arrestor cable, needed to be recovered from the runway and the arrestor cable reset.

European Fighter Aircraft

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2014 to Question 202099, what companies his Department contracted to transfer Typhoon Force equipment; and what the terms are of the existing contract.

Mr Philip Dunne: The costs identified in the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr Mark Francois) on 3 July 2014 to question 202099, were incurred under the Typhoon Availability Service (TAS) contract with BAE Systems. TAS is an availability-based contract for the provision of through-life support services to the RAF's fleet of Typhoon aircraft. 



Hansard Extract 3 July 2014
(Word Document, 24 KB)

European Fighter Aircraft

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2014 to Question 202098, what the cost is of Typhoon Force-related capital works at RAF Lossiemouth; what estimate he has made of the cost of each infrastructure item for facilitating the future operation of the Typhoon Force and the Northern Quick Reaction Alert facility at RAF Lossiemouth.

Mr Mark Francois: The estimated capital costs for facilitating Typhoon Force-related operations, including the Northern Quick Reaction Alert facility, at RAF Lossiemouth is anticipated to be some £87 million.The estimated cost of each infrastructure item is shown below.Infrastructure ItemCosts (£million)Facilities for Squadron 17Facilities for Squadron 2 - Initial Operating Capability10Facilities for Squadron 2 - Full Operating Capability10Facilities for Squadron 322Global Support Systems3Quick Reaction Aircraft North9Emulated Deployed Cockpit Trainer1Typhoon Propulsion Support Facility5Installed Engine Test Facility7Typhoon Availability Service13Total87

Bahrain

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish all correspondence and documentation held or produced by his Department on how the Government's Overseas Justice and Assistance Human Rights Guidance would affect the decision to enter an agreement with Bahrain to establish a naval base in the Gulf; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of this decision with (a) international human rights treaties to which the UK is a party and (b) the promotion of human rights in Bahrain.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will commission and publish a report on the likely effect of a UK Trident warhead in time to allow this report to be presented at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in a level of detail that corresponds with maintaining national security.

Michael Fallon: No, I will not.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2014 to Question 217946, for what reasons publishing an analysis of the effects of a UK nuclear weapon would prejudice the defence of the UK.

Michael Fallon: Providing details of the possible effects of the UK's Trident system would enable deductions to be made that could prejudice national security and would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other States.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish either as excerpts or in full official analysis of the destructive effect of the detonation of those UK nuclear warheads which were in service before the current Trident warhead.

Michael Fallon: No. This information remains highly classified for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Marchwood Military Port

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the probability of planning permission being given for development of those parts of the site of the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood, Hampshire, which are to be leased to private companies; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the three remaining bidders for the proposed lease of parts of the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre site have made their bids dependent upon planning permission for development being granted; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Due to the requirement to protect and maintain competitive tension, all negotiations with commercial bidders are confidential. Bidders' formal proposals have not yet been received. Planning permission will be dependent on the specific content of Bidders' formal proposals; thus no further comment can be made at this time.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to answer Question 210272, tabled on 13 October 2014 by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central.

Stephen Williams: Holding answer received on 24 October 2014



Question 210272 was answered on 18 December 2014.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to answer Question 208912, tabled on 10 September 2014 by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central.

Stephen Williams: Holding answer received on 24 October 2014



Question 208912 was answered on 18 December 2014.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) number and (b) proportion of households affected by the bedroom tax have fallen into rent arrears since the introduction of the bedroom tax.

Kris Hopkins: My Department does not collect such information. The removal of the spare room subsidy is estimated to save around £500 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2014-15 by reducing the benefit bill, helping pay off the budget deficit left by the last Administration. The measure also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.

Housing: Northumberland

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish housing projections for 2012; and what those projections were for (a) Northumberland and (b) Ponteland.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 01 December 2014



The Department is working on the 2012-based Household Projections and publication is planned for February 2015. The same methodology is being used as for the 2011-based projections. This means that the ONS 2012-based population projections (already published at local authority level) provide a good initial indication of likely household growth to feed into local authorities’ assessments of housing requirements. Household projections are a starting point for local authority assessments of housing need but local factors are also important. It is for local planning authorities to determine the impact that they have on their Local Plans, which will inevitably differ from area to area. The specific publication date will be pre-announced in the usual way for National Statistics.

Radicalism

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Welsh Government on tackling extremism; and what plans he has to meet his counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss tackling extemism across the UK.

Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 14 October 2014, PQ 208165.

Mental Health Services

Mr Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress made by local government in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England to sign up to the principles of the Crisis Care Concordat.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 02 December 2014



As part of the roll-out of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, published by the Government in February 2014, health, social care and criminal justice partners across England have been invited to develop and sign local Concordat declarations. I share the aim of my rt. hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Care and Support (Norman Lamb), that declarations should be in place throughout England by the end of 2014. Progress towards this across all areas of England can be found at: http://www.crisiscareconcordat.org.uk/explore-the-map/ I understand that there are plans for Crisis Care declarations covering Coventry and the West Midlands to be agreed shortly.

Furniture

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many desks are in his Department's main building; how many such desks are (a) owned and (b) leased by his Department; and what the cost is per desk of leasing.

Kris Hopkins: My Department’s main building is at 2 Marsham Street, as part of our recent relocation to share a building with the Home Office. This move will save £220 million of taxpayers’ money over the lifetime of the building’s lease commitments. The building is owned and managed by the Home Office’s Private Finance Initiative provider. My Department occupies 977 desks in this building; three of our Arms Length Bodies are also based in the building to save money, and occupy a further 253 desks. Our old building of Eland House had 2,423 desks as of March 2010 (some of which were sub-let). DCLG now employs a 7:10 desk ratio (7 desks for every 10 members of staff). I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 November 2014, PQ 213772, on the broader savings we have made from the rationalisation of the departmental estate.

Travellers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the UK Civil Society Monitoring Report on implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in the UK in 2012 and 2013; what the (a) activities and (b) outputs have been of the ministerial working group on tackling inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers since 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: We have noted the Monitoring Report and the views expressed within it, and we are advancing such integration through our broader social inclusion and integration policies. In relation to the Working Group, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 11 November 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WA36.

Homelessness

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the  number of people aged under 18 who were homeless in each month of 2014.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



Figures on those housed in temporary accommodation are published in Live Table 775 on my Department’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness This includes figures for households in temporary accommodation with dependent children, and households in temporary accommodation headed by a 16 or 17 year old.We do not collect information by month.

Travellers

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which ministers are responsible for the implementation of the commitments arising from the work of the Ministerial Working Group on Gypsies and Travellers; and when he expects his Department to fully deliver each of those commitments.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions in each year since it was set up the Ministerial Working Group on Gypsies and Travellers has met; which ministers attended each such meeting; and what steps have been taken by ministers in pursuance of the recommendations and commitments arising from the work of that group.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 11 November 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WA36.

Members: Correspondence

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to reply to the letter of 31 October 2014 from the hon. Member for Warley about compulsory purchase orders.

Brandon Lewis: A reply was sent on 16 December.

Community Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 1116, what the (a) name is of and (b) amounts of money are received by each of the integration projects funded by the £45 million spent by his Department since 2010.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Community Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Oral Answer of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 1116, what (a) the name is of and (b) amount of money is received by each of the 29 projects his Department is supporting in 2014.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Recommendation on page 11 of the report of the National Audit Office entitled, financial sustainability of local authorities, published on 19 November 2014, HC 783, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen its processes for assessing local authority funding requirements at future spending reviews.

Kris Hopkins: The Government will publish a formal response to the Public Accounts Committee's consideration of the National Audit Office report; this will be presented to Parliament in due course.

Radicalism

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 1116, when he plans to issue a Written Statement on radicalisation.

Stephen Williams: I refer the rt. hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on integration of 18 December, Official Report, Columns 110-118WS.

Community Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 1116, which groups in East London, East Birmingham and along the M62 Corridor his Department is working with.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Non-domestic Rates

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2014 to Quesiton 217113, when data on how many small firms and shops in each local authority will benefit from reductions in business rates in 2015-16 will be available; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Department publishes hereditament (property) data for business rates measures annually through the national non-domestic rates (NNDR) returns. Specifically, this data is contained within the supplementary tables of the NNDR1 returns, which provides forecast financial and hereditament data regarding the non-domestic rates collected by all local authorities in England. For 2015-16, the financial data is expected to be published in February 2015, while the supplementary tables are expected to be released in early summer 2015. For 2014-15, the financial data on national non-domestic rates was published on the 19 February 2014, while the supplementary tables were added on the 29 July 2014. The data on the national non-domestic rates collected by local authorities can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils#history

Fire Services: Cheshire

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many non-frontline roles are currently available in (a) Warrington and (b) Cheshire for firefighters who cannot meet fitness requirements for reasons beyond their control.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 December 2014, PQ 217653.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of the independent inspection of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council headed by Louise Casey CB; and what he expects the contribution to those costs will be from (a) his Department, (b) Rotherham Council and (c) other sources.

Kris Hopkins: The costs of the statutory inspection of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council are a matter for the Inspector and we have made no estimate of these costs at this point in time. Section 12 of the Local Government Act 1999 provides that the Authority being inspected must pay the Inspector's reasonable fees for carrying out the inspection. Louise Casey CB is also undertaking further work in addition to and wholly outside the scope of the statutory inspection. The costs of this additional work will be met by the Department.

Housing: Construction

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the role is of housing needs assessments within local plans.

Brandon Lewis: Our planning guidance is clear that a Strategic Housing Market Assessment is just the first stage in developing a Local Plan and councils can take account of constraints which indicate that development should be restricted. I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate on 19 December to ensure our policy is clearly understood. A copy of the letter can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-housing-market-assessments and I attach a copy to this answer.



Letter to CEO Planning Inspector
(PDF Document, 276.79 KB)

Fire Services: Pensions

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at his Department on 15 December 2014, Official Report, columns 1115 and 1153, by what mechanisms the Written Ministerial Statement and Statutory Instrument will guarantee that if a firefighter does not have an underlying medical condition and they cannot pass the fitness test, either they will receive an alternative role or be offered an unreduced pension.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Portsmouth North of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 115, for what reasons a statutory instrument was not laid on 16 December 2014.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Portsmouth North, of 15 December 2014, Official Report, column 1153, what steps he will take to audit compliance with new arrangements for firefighters aged over 55 by fire and rescue services over the next three years.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the review of 20 fire and rescue authorities' fitness policies undertaken by his Department.

Penny Mordaunt: The Fire and Rescue Authorities (National Framework) (England) (Revision) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3317) was made on 16 December. It was laid in Parliament on 18 December, following the normal process, and has been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2014/3317. The amendment to the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England sets out the principles we expect fire and rescue authorities to have regard to in setting their fitness policies and procedures and their approach to firefighters who lose fitness to support them in working to 60. The mechanisms by which fire and rescue authorities are required to have regard to the National Framework along with the associated powers of intervention, inspection and reporting are set out in Sections 21 to 25 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. We will be undertaking a review of the National Framework principles in three years time, after consultation with partners in the fire and rescue service, and at that stage will assess whether any further action is required. Dr Williams found that “Based on current practices of setting a standard of 42 mL∙kg∙min-1 VO2max but allowing firefighters to remain operational at a 35 mL∙kg∙min-1 VO2max”. The Department considered the policies that were submitted to that review and agreed with Dr Williams’ assessment of current practice. I have placed copies of the fitness policies that the Department considered in the Library of the House.

Fire Prevention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department allocated to the Fire Kills campaign in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Human Trafficking: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what cross-departmental work his Department undertakes with the Home Office to tackle the sexual trafficking of children.

Kris Hopkins: The Government’s Modern Slavery Strategy was published on 29 November. This sets out a comprehensive cross-Government approach to tackling modern slavery, including the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. The strategy can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-strategy. My Department works closely with the Home Office and other departments to ensure an effective national strategy is maintained to tackle the sexual trafficking of children.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Justice speeding up the eviction process for illegal Traveller encampments by appointing specialist magistrates able to sit at short notice and out-of-hours.

Brandon Lewis: We are concerned at reports that some local authorities and police forces are not taking effective action to deal with unauthorised encampments. We will therefore be looking to hold discussions with Ministerial colleagues, including Justice Ministers, on what more we can do to help councils and the police deal effectively with unauthorised encampments.We are open to any detailed representations that my hon. Friend, and other hon. Members, may wish to provide on these matters.

Social Services: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what new models of delivering children's services his Department is considering in the course of its Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: The Government has invited local authorities to submit bids for the Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods Fund across the range of local government services. The deadline for expressions of interest was 15 December and we are now in the process of assessing these and selecting successful projects. Until that process is completed, we are unable to set out the specific models that we will be supporting.

Youth Services

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change in expenditure on young people's services (i) in total and (ii) per head of, population was in each English local authority between 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Council Tax

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the percentage change was in the proportion of expenditure made up by council tax income in each English local authority between 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Kris Hopkins: I attach a table listing the council tax requirement as a percentage of revenue expenditure in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2013-14.However, the two sets of figures are not comparable for a number of reasons, including:Changes to local authority responsibilities, including the transfer of public health services, and transfers of functions within different tiers of local government.The shift of schools to academy status, away from being funded by local authorities.An accounting consequence of the localisation of council tax benefit is that councils now apply local council tax support in the form of a council tax discount and receive a DCLG grant through Revenue Support Grant. Previously, councils received a grant from the Department for Work and Pensions, which refunded the tax revenue that was ‘paid’ by the council through council tax benefit.  



Table - List of Council Tax Requirement
(Excel SpreadSheet, 42.19 KB)

Housing: Sales

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many residential properties on brownfield land (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of all residential property sales were sold in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department publishes data on residential property sales, based on Land Registry data. These are available in Live Tables 588 (annual) and 584 (quarterly) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-housing-market-and-house-pricesThe Department does not, however, collect data on the proportion of these properties that were built on brownfield land.

Local Government Finance

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications were made under Part A of the Transformation Challenge Award Scheme 2015-16; how many such applications were successful; and what proportion of the funds set aside for Part A awards was allocated.

Kris Hopkins: My Department received eight expressions of interest for part A of the 2015-16 Transformation Challenge Award. Seven authorities submitted full applications from which five were successful. The fund was not split between part A and part B of the scheme. The total fund was awarded to the strongest applications.

Community Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Written Statement of 18 December 2014, HCWS154, on Integration Update, what estimate he has made of expenditure on each of his Department's integration projects and activities in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Community Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Written Statement of 18 December 2014, HCWS154, on Integration Update, which integration projects and activities had their funding terminated in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Stephen Williams: Holding answer received on 05 January 2015



I refer the rt. hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement on Integration of 18 December, Official Report, Columns 110-118WS. In principle, funding for projects ends at a point set out in the Grant Agreement. Other than the Faith Minorities in Action Project, no project has had its funding terminated ahead of this point.

Local Government Finance: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the applications from Christchurch and East Dorset Councils for an award under Part A of the Transformation Challenge Award Scheme 2015-16 satisfied the criteria for such awards; and for what reason the bid was unsuccessful.

Kris Hopkins: The application from Christchurch and East Dorset Councils for the 2015-16 Transformation Challenge Award satisfied the basic criteria as published in the prospectus for the expression of interest stage. The authorities were then invited to submit a full application. The application was assessed alongside all other applications but unfortunately we could not fund them all. Christchurch and East Dorset Councils’ application was not as strong as the successful applications. If the authorities have any questions regarding their application, my officials would be happy to answer them.

Private Rented Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 218185, if he will undertake an assessment of (a) how many and (b) what proportion of tenants in the private rented sector have (i) asked for and (ii) been granted the model agreement for shorthold assured tenancy since that model agreement was published by the Government.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is keen to monitor take-up of the Model Tenancy and is examining the options for assessing this.

Non-domestic Rates

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy to carry out a revaluation of business rates in 2017.

Kris Hopkins: Yes. Section 29 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 changed the date of the business revaluation in England to 2017.We announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills in England, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement measures to £1.4 billion in 2015-16. That included extending the existing revaluation transitional relief scheme for two years, 2015-16 and 2016-17, for properties with a rateable value up to and including £50,000.

Right to Buy Scheme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on marketing in relation to the Right to Buy scheme in London in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

eBay

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that all online retailers trading on eBay in the UK display VAT numbers.

Mr David Gauke: There is no requirement in tax legislation for a VAT-registered person to declare to a customer that they are registered or to provide a VAT registration number, unless they make a supply to another VAT-registered person, in which case they are obliged to issue a VAT invoice including their VAT number. However businesses are required to comply with the Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 concerning the provision of this information.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the new rates of stamp duty, under what category land will be sold if planning permission has been granted for both commercial and residential purposes.

Mr David Gauke: Undeveloped land is treated as non-residential property for stamp duty land tax (SDLT) purposes. The existence or otherwise of planning permission is immaterial.

Students: Tax Allowances

Mr John Denham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers were granted tax relief on expenditure on training to degree level in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the total value was of that tax relief.

Mr John Denham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers received tax relief on expenditure on training in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr John Denham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax relief was claimed by employers on expenditure on training in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr David Gauke: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Multinational Companies: Tax Avoidance

Austin Mitchell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what access he has to evidence by the EU enquiry into the extent and the means of tax avoidance by multinational corporations through Luxembourg and the Irish Republic.

Mr David Gauke: The European Commission has a duty of confidentiality to Member States in relation to the information they provide to the Commission. Where appropriate, HMRC can request information relevant to UK tax matters directly from the fiscal authorities in Member States under existing arrangements for the exchange of information.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Austin Mitchell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to tax authorities in (a) Ireland and Luxembourg and (b) other EU countries to ensure that profits made in the UK can be taxed in the UK at UK tax rates.

Mr David Gauke: Profit shifting by multinationals is a global problem. It is essential to look at this issue in a comprehensive and coordinated manner so that we can come up with effective solutions. The UK is at the forefront of multilateral action through the G20 and the OECD to reform the international tax standards.   The UK used its Presidency of the G8 to successfully build international support for this work. We are now playing a leading role in the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project to reform the international tax landscape in order to ensure that profits are taxed where economic activities are performed and where value is created.

Foreign Companies: Taxation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Exchequer revenues of the decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in European Commission v United Kingdom (Case C-112/14) of 13 November 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The changes are expected to have a negligible impact on the Exchequer.The decision handed down by the Court of Justice of the European Union in European Commission v United Kingdom (Case C-112/14) of 13 November 2014 relates to a Reasoned Opinion of the European Commission of 17 February 2011 stating that UK Anti-Avoidance legislation contained in section 13 of the Taxation of chargeable Gains Act 1992 (TCGA) did not go far enough in ensuring genuine commercial activity is excluded from charge and was therefore incompatible with EU Treaty freedoms. The Government had already accepted the legislation was incompatible and made changes to section 13 (in section 62 of the Finance Act 2013) which applied retrospectively from April 2012, prior to the case even being referred to the Court of Justice. The Court of Justice decision relates only to the old pre-Finance Act 2013 legislation, and the UK therefore did not contest the matter before the Court. The UK is pleased that the conclusion in the judgement endorses the approach adopted in the revised version of section 13 TCGA; that a restriction on the free movement of capital is compatible with the Treaty where it combats tax avoidance and is targeted at wholly artificial arrangements.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the net Exchequer effect of green (a) taxes and (b) subsidies in the last five years.

Priti Patel: The Government classifies environmental taxes as those that meet all of the following three principles:   The tax is explicitly linked to the Government’s environmental objectivesThe primary objective of the tax is to encourage environmentally positive behaviour changeThe tax is structured in relation to environmental objectives Based on these principles, the Government has defined the environmental taxes as the Climate Change Levy, the Aggregates Levy, Landfill Tax, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, and the Carbon Price Floor. In May 2010, this Government committed to increasing the proportion of tax revenue accounted for by environmental taxes. The forecast from Budget 2014 demonstrates that the Government remains on track to achieve this commitment, as shown in the table below:  2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Revenue from Environmental Taxes£2.5bn£3.0bn£3.0bn£3.8bn£4.7bn£5.1bnTotal Tax Forecast Receipts£555.7bn£577.5bn£593.5bn£619.8bn£648.2bn£675.5bnProportion of total tax receipts0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%0.7%0.8%   Many of the policies aimed at supporting renewables and reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are funded by consumers, with neutral cost to the Exchequer. Detail on spend which is funded by the Exchequer in these areas, including the Renewable Heat Incentive, is published in the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s Annual Reports and Accounts.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase the income tax personal allowance to £13,500.

Mr David Gauke: The Government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 that the Personal Allowance would be increased to £10,600 from April 2015. This will be legislated for in the 2015 Finance Bill. Any changes to the Personal Allowance and income tax thresholds will be set out at future fiscal events

Women and Equalities

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate she has made of the savings to the Government Equalities Office from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems the Government Equalities Office has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Jo Swinson: No estimates have been made of the savings to the Government Equalities Office from the introduction of the Q&A system or of the extent to which the system has improved the way it answers questions from Hon. Members. There are no plans to introduce any ICT systems that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system. It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2014 to Question 216761, what assessment he has made of the effect on Northern Rail of Government plans for the TransPennine Express franchising process.

Claire Perry: The Northern and TransPennine Express franchises are being developed jointly. The potential impacts of one franchise on the other are being considered in this process. We expect to set out the Invitations to Tender for both competitions shortly.

Roads: Construction

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to build new and upgrade existing trunk roads.

Mr John Hayes: Government has published the first ever Road Investment Strategy, setting out how £15 billion will be invested in 127 schemes on England’s motorway and trunk road network between 2015/16 and 2020/21, 84 of which are newly announced. The North East of England and Yorkshire will benefit from a total of 26 schemes, 18 of which we newly announced in the Road Investment Strategy, worth around £3 billion.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assets he has designated for search and rescue under section 2.5 of Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation; and where each such asset is located.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport can call upon a range of assets currently designated for search and rescue under 2.5 of Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. These assets are set out in the following table: Stornoway AirportCoastguard S92sSumburgh AirportCoastguard S92sRAF LossiemouthSea KingsRAF BoulmerSea KingsRAF station, LeconfieldSea KingsRAF station, WattishamSea KingsMCA Daedalus (Lee-on-Solent)Coastguard AW139sMCA PortlandCoastguard AW139RNAS CuldroseSea KingsRAF station, ChivenorSea KingsRAF ValleySea KingsHMS GannetSea Kings The Department can also call upon commercially operated fixed wing aircraft based at Inverness and East Midlands Airports and a military C-130 Hercules to support long range SAR operations.

Railways: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 218298, how many of the 850 electrified route miles referred to were committed to by the previous Government; how many route miles of High Speed 1 were completed (a) up to and (b) after 1 May 1997; and how many route miles have been electrified since 6 May 2010.

Claire Perry: In respect of the commitment to 850 miles of railway electrification by 2019, referred to in the Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 218298, 4 miles were committed to by the previous Government arising from their High Level Output Specification determination in 2007 of the railway outputs for Control Period 4 covering the period 2009-2014. In the summer of 2009, 12 years after coming into office, the previous Government also announced the intention for some additional electrification schemes to be carried out for delivery in the years post-2010 involving a further 257 miles.   The construction of the 67 miles of High Speed 1 started after 1 May 1997 and the construction of this route was completed prior to 6 May 2010, although it was the previous Conservative government which introduced the legislation to enable this construction to take place   Eighteen miles of the committed 850 miles electrification have been completed since 6 May 2010.

Vehicle Certification Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 8 December 2014, on Motoring Services Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the competition process.

Claire Perry: The project has incurred costs of £2.74 million.

Bus Services: Disability

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review the issue of competing rights arising from the recent case in West Yorkshire between a woman with a pushchair and a wheelchair user in terms of the priority when seeking to use a designated bay on buses.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport services and opportunities to travel as other members of society, and we will continue to work with operators to achieve this. The Department for Transport is also following the legal case on wheelchair-space priority involving First Bus Group and Mr Doug Paulley closely, and will study the court of appeal’s recent judgment in detail.

A45: Northamptonshire

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 41 of the Road Investment Strategy: Investment Plan, published on 1 December 2014, and the proposed study of a scheme to be developed for improvements to the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick, (a) when that study will begin, (b) which body will undertake the study, (c) what the timescales for the study will be and when the study will conclude, (d) what public consultation will be involved in the study, (e) who will evaluate the study, (f) what funding has been allocated to undertake the study, (g) whether the announcement of a study is a guarantee that road improvements will take place in a future road period, (h) what the earliest year would be in which improvement work could be undertaken on the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick following the study, (i) what submissions about the A45 from Stanwick to Thrapston were received from the Highways Agency in connection with the development of the Road Investment Strategy and (j) what cost estimates were considered in relation to dualling from Thrapston to Stanwick.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is committed to upgrading the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick which is why the scheme is named in the new Road Investment Strategy. The previous administration failed adequately to improve Northamptonshire’s infrastructure when they had the opportunity, despite holding a number of parliamentary seats in the county for all or part of the 13 years from 1997.   The proposals to improve the A45 between Thrapston and Stanwick will be developed by Highways England during the first Road Period, which runs from 2015/16 to 2019/20, but may not enter construction until the next Road Period as the environmental sensitivities of the site are recognised by the Department for Transport. It is important that we get this right.   Evidence gathered as part of the Route Strategy process was used to inform the development of the Road Investment Strategy (RIS). The investment commitment in the RIS provides funding for the development of a scheme to upgrade the existing single carriageway section of the A45 between Thrapston and Stanwick so the A45 can provide a continuous Expressway between the A14 and the M1.   In committing to develop schemes for the next RIS period we have been clear that the design of the proposal may be complex, and in relation to the A45 scheme, it will be necessary to ensure that the proposal carefully manages the interaction of the road with the Stanwick Lakes SSSI and the wider Nene Valley. While it is too early to set out the detailed arrangements and a timetable for development of the proposal, we do know that delivery will require the successful completion of the necessary statutory planning processes, which include public consultation.   By naming the A45 in the first ever Road Investment Strategy this government has shown its commitment to Northamptonshire and will continue to press ahead with improvements to this important artery. This comes on top of the £20.5 million investment towards the cost of the the A43 Corby link road which opened in 2014 and up to £25 million that has been allocated for improvements to the Chowns Mill roundabout as part of the RIS.   By contrast the previous administration dropped several schemes in Northamptonshire from the national road building programme in 1998 including the A43 Moulton-Broughton improvement; the A43 Geddington bypass; as well as the A45 Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford bypass.   At the time of the publication of the RIS the Department set out the expected cost category for each of the investment commitments, with the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick scheme falling in the £100 to £250m cost category.

Motorways: Accidents

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents there have been on the (a) M11 and (b) A(1)M in the last 12 months.

Mr John Hayes: The latest annual period for which accident statistics have been published and are available for the M11 and the A1(M) is 2013. These are set out in the table below:  M11A1(M)Fatal114Serious1928Slight81218Total101260 Validated data for 2014 will be available in June 2015. Casualty and collision data is drawn from police reports called STATS 19. These reports are completed when the police attend the scene of an accident where there has been at least one minor injury. There is no requirement for damage-only accidents, with no human causalities to be reported to the police and therefore this data is excluded.

M11: Accidents

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents there have been on the M11 in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The latest five year period for which accident statistics have been published and are available for the M11 between junction 4 (near Woodford) and junction 13 (near Cambridge) are for 2009 to 2013. These are set out in the table below: YearCollisions20091262010112201110520121022013105  Casualty and collision data is drawn from police reports called STATS 19. These reports are completed when the police attend the scene of an accident where there has been at least one minor injury. There is no requirement for damage-only accidents, with no human causalities to be reported to the police and therefore this data is excluded.

Cycling: Safety Measures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage cyclists to wear high visibility clothing.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority for this Government and we recommend that cyclists wear clothing that makes them sufficiently visible to other road users. However, wearing high visibility clothing is a matter of individual choice, and I would want to resist imposing additional regulations which could lead to people choosing not to cycle and would be difficult to enforce. We encourage the wearing of high visibility clothing through the Highway Code, THINK! Cyclist campaign, and Tales of the Road. In addition, children who take part in Bikeability cycle training courses have discussions on safety equipment and what to wear; this includes high visibility clothing.

Railways: Finance

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of private sector provision on the railway on (a) the public finances and (b) investment in the railways.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dudley College of Technology

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet representatives of Dudley College to discuss delays to its application for a crossing next to the college campus.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will investigate the reasons for the failure to determine Dudley College's application for a new crossing in line with published timescales.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The design, installation and maintenance of pedestrian crossings are matters for local highway authorities, in this case Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. They have powers to establish pedestrian crossings on their roads, under section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Pedestrian crossings do not require planning permission but the local authority need to work with those requesting such a crossing to ensure an appropriate way forward is found. Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. It would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to intervene in the process of local democratic accountability. I understand that an Inspector has been appointed to visit the site in the week commencing 26th January. The Inspector’s decision will follow soon after that time. In the circumstances it would be inappropriate for Ministers to discuss any aspect of this case with representatives of Dudley College as to do so could prejudice the position of the Inspector appointed to determine the case on his behalf.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Need to Sell scheme for HS2 (Phase 1) will commence.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Secretary of State for Transport announced the Government’s property compensation proposals for Phase One of HS2 earlier last year. At that point he indicated that the discretionary compensation schemes would be opened to applicants by the end of 2014.   However, after careful consideration and to avoid the Christmas holiday period, the Secretary of State has decided that the launch of the discretionary schemes to assist those property owners affected by Phase One of HS2 will be in January 2015.

South West

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what identifiable expenditure his Department has spent on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in each year since 2007-08.

Claire Perry: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport is given in HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis 2014.   Identifiable expenditure on transport in South West England for the last 7 years is reproduced below. This includes a split between current and capital expenditure for all years. Equivalent data is not available below regional level. Identifiable transport expenditure in South West England, 2007-08 to 2013-14 £millionsFinancial yearTotal expenditureof which: Capitalof which: Current2007-0812256475782008-0912947485452009-101,1566565002010-111,1286784492011-121,0156104052012-139996243762013-141,009668341  Source: HM Treasury, Country and Regional Analysis (2012 and 2014 editions)

Railways

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of rail privatisation on (a) investment in the rail network, (b) the performance of the rail network and the quality of services and (c) the public purse.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Travel

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each of the last five years.

Mr David Lidington: The following table details spend on Taxis, First Class rail and Business Class air travel. Spend on First Class rail and Business Class air travel is through our contract with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel management company, Hogg Robinson Group plc. Travel tickets booked directly by members of staff could only be collated at disproportionate cost. 2010/11: Taxis: £318,689; First Class Train: £38,081; Business Class Air: £4,785,512 2011/12: Taxis: £329,042; First Class Train: £24,455; Business Class Air: £5,167,379 2012/13: Taxis: £348,733; First Class Train: £19,724; Business Class Air: £6,103,300 2013/14: Taxis: £403,856; First Class Train: £1,590; Business Class Air: £5,421,348 2014- October ’14: Taxis: £135,174; First Class Train: £313; Business Class Air: £2,952,555 FCO Policy is that public transport should be used whenever possible. Like all Government Departments, the FCO ensures we use taxpayers' money very carefully to help reduce the overall costs of Government. Staff are therefore only allowed to use taxis in exceptional circumstances: when public transport is not available, or when their line manager agrees that taking a taxi will help keep a staff member safe during unsocial hours. In addition to approver checks, expense claims are subject to retrospective audit checks. FCO staff travelling by air are required to book the lowest fare possible, subject to budget holder approval Business class travel may be used when it is the more cost-effective option, if staff are required to work immediately upon arrival or on medical grounds. All FCO staff are directed to use standard class for rail travel unless there are exceptional circumstances e.g. illness, disability or where first class facilities are essential for working while travelling. In these exceptional circumstances, prior line management approval must be given.

Commonwealth

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Secretary-General about the admittance of new member states with no historic or constitutional link to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: I discussed Commonwealth membership with the Secretary-General on 16 December. He is currently considering a number of expressions of interest in membership of the Commonwealth. Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed recommendations on criteria for membership in 2007. Under that agreement, countries aspiring to join the Commonwealth should generally have a constitutional link to an existing member to be considered eligible. However a country without such a connection may exceptionally be admitted.

Burma

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking through the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative to help to prevent further sexual violence in Burma and to bring the perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.

Mr Hugo Swire: In June, after considerable lobbying from the UK, Burma endorsed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The authorities now need to demonstrate that they will honour these commitments. We continue to make clear to the Burmese government that all allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with through clear, independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial processes which meet international standards. I raised this issue with Deputy Foreign Minister U Thant Kyaw on 13 June 2014 during the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. More recently, in October the Minister of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest West (Mr Swayne), discussed the issue when he met Burma’s Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. The UK is providing over £300,000 towards projects training women in basic legal skills, helping leaders prevent sexual violence in their own communities and working with non-state armed groups to promote adherence to international standards in respect of sexual violence and gender discrimination. Additionally, in conflict areas in Burma, the Department for International Development (DFID) provides over £500,000 in humanitarian funding directly supporting the prevention of sexual violence and assistance to survivors.

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not made any changes to its IT systems in response to the new Q&A system and does not have any plans to do so in the immediate future. The FCO already has a very good record of responding to hon Members on time, with 99.7% of Named day and 98.6% of ordinary written questions answered on time in the 2013/14 session.

Syria

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what programme the event held in Luton on 28 August 2014 on Government aid to Syria was funded.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The event was part of a community outreach programme across the country to highlight the Government's policy for Syria. The programme highlighted the Government's policy for Syria, the Government’s humanitarian programme and travel advice for Syria and the region. The event received funding and support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Home Office and the Charity Commission.

Papua

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential to hold the perpetrators of recent human rights violations in West Papua to account in international law; and if his Department will develop plans to increase support for the protection of Papuan civilians.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are concerned by reports of a number of deaths in Paniai, Papua province, on 8 December, apparently following attempts to disperse a group of protesters. We support calls by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the authorities to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the incident. Such an investigation should be in line with international legal standards.We regularly discuss the situation in Papua with the Indonesian authorities, including during visits by our Embassy to the province. It is for the Indonesian authorities to provide adequate protection to all its citizens and we continue to press them to do so.

Tibet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had on the human rights situation in Tibet.

Mr Hugo Swire: We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet. We raise these regularly with Chinese counterparts, including a number of Tibetan cases during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2014. We highlight broader concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. We also raise concerns multilaterally, such as during China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in October 2013. On 10 December, I took part in a Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate on Tibet where I outlined a range of our concerns.

Tibet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the human rights situation in Tibet.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet which we continue to raise with the Chinese government. Through bilateral dialogue, the UN Human Rights Council, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, we press the Chinese to exercise restraint, respect religious and cultural freedoms, and lift restrictions on access to Tibetan areas for international journalists, non-governmental organisations and diplomats. Our UK-China Human Rights Dialogue also provides for detailed, expert, engagement on human rights issues, including Tibet. We believe that meaningful dialogue is the best way to address and resolve the underlying differences between the Tibetan overseas communities and the Chinese government, and encourage all sides to restart talks as soon as possible.

Zimbabwe

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of restrictive measures against the regime in Zimbabwe imposed by the EU.

James Duddridge: The EU Restrictive Measures have been an important tool in the EU’s efforts to promoting democracy and reform in Zimbabwe. The EU will be reviewing all Restrictive Measures on Zimbabwe in February 2015. Their future will be a decision for all member states

Tibet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tibet; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet, particularly in regards to freedom of expression and ethnic minority rights. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese authorities, and highlight them in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy. On 10 December, I took part in a Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate on Tibet where I outlined a range of our concerns.We believe that meaningful dialogue is the best way to address and resolve the underlying differences between the Tibetan overseas communities and the Chinese government, and encourage all sides to restart talks as soon as possible.

Nuclear Weapons

Dame Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conclusions he has drawn from the outcomes of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons on 8 to 9 December 2014.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK was represented at the conference by Mrs Susan le Jeune, our Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency. At the Conference, officials listened carefully to the participants, who expressed a very wide range of views.Some argued that the way to achieve the goal of a world without nuclear weapons was to ban weapons now or to fix a timetable for their elimination. This approach fails to take account of the stability and security which nuclear weapons can help to secure. None of us would gain from a loss of that stability. The UK believes that the UN Disarmament Machinery, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, provide the right forum for working towards a world without nuclear weapons.Our Ambassador to Austria restated our concern at the humanitarian consequences which could result from the use of nuclear weapons. We are committed to working towards a world without nuclear weapons. In our Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010, the Government undertook to reduce the number of warheads we have by the mid-2020s. However, we shall retain a credible, continuous and effective submarine based deterrent, for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary.A copy of the UK intervention at the Conference has been placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what priority he and other Ministers in his Department are giving during discussions on the UK's military involvement in Iraq to ensuring that the Iraqi government holds talks with Sunni tribes; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome the commitments that Prime Minister Abadi has made to inclusive governance and ensuring that the interests of all communities in Iraq are properly represented in the political process and in the fight against ISIL. The Iraqi government’s constructive engagement with the Sunni community, who continue to suffer at the hands of ISIL’s brutality, to bring them back into the political fold will be critical if ISIL is to be defeated in Iraq. The Government has raised this issue with Prime Minister Abadi on a number of occasions, including during my visit to Baghdad in October when I welcomed the progress that has been made so far, including steps to reform the Iraqi Security Forces. The UK will continue to support Prime Minister Abadi’s efforts to advance the national reconciliation process.

North Korea

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the British Embassy in Pyongyang has had with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) officials on reports to the UN Commission of Inquiry of widespread use of sexual violence against women within the Workers' Party of Korea, the government of the DPRK and the Korean People's Army.

Mr Hugo Swire: We welcome the spotlight shone by the Commission of Inquiry report on horrific and systemic violations of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), not least with regard to sexual violence against women. We have urged the DPRK authorities, through both our Embassy in Pyongyang and the DPRK Embassy in London, to respond in detail to the contents of the report and to address the violations that it documents. The DPRK continues to reject the Commission’s findings and will not engage on the detail of the Commission’s report.

Colombia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in Colombia with his EU counterparts in discussions of EU-Colombia trade agreements.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Embassy in Bogotá is part of the EU Human Rights Group, made up of all EU Member States with missions in Colombia and the European External Action Service. The group meets on a monthly basis in order to implement the Human Rights Strategy for Colombia, most recently on 2 December. The EU Andean Free Trade Agreement aims to raise human rights standards and includes a legally binding clause allowing for revision of the agreement if Colombia does not comply with its human rights commitments. Colombia has responded to this with a 54 point action plan to reinforce its efforts to end impunity for human rights violations and to ensure its justice system is fully compliant with human rights law.

Cyprus

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Cyprus about the human rights of people living in the north of that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: During my visit to the Republic of Cyprus in November, I discussed a wide range of issues with the Government, including the situation of those living in the north of the island. I did so within the context of UK support to the UN-led negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting settlement, which we believe would greatly improve the prospects for all Cypriots. We recognise that the political situation has raised human rights challenges for both Turkish Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and for religious minorities on the island. At Cyprus’ Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK suggested that measures should be taken to enable the Turkish Cypriots to participate effectively in cultural, social and economic life and public affairs.

Turkey

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on Turkish membership of the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The UK remains a strong supporter of Turkey’s EU accession process. Turkish accession would benefit the UK and the EU and contribute to our shared prosperity and security. The accession process recognises that Turkey needs to do more to meet EU standards through continuing reforms. Active and credible accession negotiations remain the best way for Turkey to make further progress, particularly in the areas of fundamental rights and rule of law. We and our EU partners will continue to support Turkey with their ongoing reform agenda.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo on possible closures of camps for internally displaced peoples around Goma by the end of 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of closures to camps for internally displaced peoples around Goma on local refugee populations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We recognise the right of the Government to close the camps in North Kivu. However, any camp closures just be done in a way that reflects the Government’s obligations under the Kampala Convention – this includes the respect of humanitarian principles and the rights and dignity of the internally displaced people affected, including the right for voluntary return.The UK has been working closely with the wider humanitarian community to support an ongoing dialogue with the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo on this issue. We hope that this constructive dialogue can be maintained to find appropriate, and durable, long term solutions for those currently located in camps around Goma and across North Kivu.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the situation in North Kivu; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: The situation on the ground for the civilian population in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains difficult and, at times, dangerous. As set out in the FCO’s statement of 27 November https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/the-uk-condemns-the-attacks-on-the-civilian-population-of-beni-in-drc the UK condemns the recent attacks on the civilian population of Beni territory that have left almost 200 dead since mid-October. The Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) must intensify their efforts to protect the civilian population and neutralise all illegal armed groups in eastern Congo in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2147.The political process is key to stabilising eastern DRC in the longer term, and we call on all stakeholders of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement for the DRC and region to implement their commitments in full. I recently wrote to Foreign Minister Tshibanda to welcome the DRC’s new government of national cohesion and to reiterate the UK’s support for efforts to bring sustainable peace, security and prosperity to the DRC.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department intends to answer Question 216778, tabled on 2 December 2014 for Answer on 11 December 2014, on political prisoners in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr David Lidington: I would like to apologise to my hon friend for the delay in answer to his question. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has discovered an IT glitch whereby Answers to Written Questions had been uploaded but not submitted to the House. We have reviewed our processes and made changes to ensure this doesn't happen again. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) responded to the hon. Member's Question (PQ 216778) on 17 December 2014.

Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to determine whether a country should feature as (a) a case study and (b) a country of concern in its annual Human Rights and Democracy report.

Mr David Lidington: As set out in the 2012 and 2013 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Reports on Human Rights and Democracy, the criteria we use to determine whether a country should feature as a country of concern are the following:the gravity of the human rights situation in the country, including both the severity of particular abuses and the range of human rights affected;whether a deterioration or improvement in the human rights situation in the country would have a wider impact in the region;whether the human rights situation in the country has an impact on wider UK interests; andwhether we are able to influence the human rights situation there.Our assessment of the gravity of the human rights situation in the country is the most important assessment that we make when identifying the countries of concern, and is not affected by levels of UK interest or influence. Only after assessing this, do we then apply an analysis of our other criteria, including UK engagement and interests as a means of influencing change. A large number of countries have serious human rights issues, and so it is right that we concentrate our limited resources on those countries where we can make most difference.Country case studies were introduced in 2012 as a way to report on countries which do not meet the overall threshold for a country of concern, but which we judge nonetheless to be facing human rights challenges, or to be on a trajectory of change with regard to their human rights performance.

Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what factors his Department takes into account in deciding whether to escalate a country from being a case study to a country of concern in its annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.

Mr David Lidington: Country case studies were introduced in 2012 as a way to report on countries which do not meet the overall threshold for a country of concern, but which we judge nonetheless to be facing human rights challenges, or to be on a trajectory of change with regard to their human rights performance. This change could be positive or negative. Designation as a country case study does not therefore imply that these countries are likely to be designated a country of concern in future. Each year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office carries out a review of its countries of concern and country case studies against our four criteria. If this analysis were to show that an existing country case study had deteriorated significantly against these criteria, it is likely that its categorisation would be changed accordingly.

Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will establish without delay a Judge-led inquiry into any (a) direct and (b) indirect UK involvement in the use of torture or rendition following the events of 11 September 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In July 2010, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) asked Sir Peter Gibson to lead an inquiry into whether Britain was implicated in the improper treatment, or rendition, of detainees held by other countries in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. In January 2012, the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the member for Rushcliffe (Mr Kenneth Clarke) announced the Government’s decision to bring the Detainee Inquiry to a conclusion following the launch of a new police investigation into related matters. In doing so, he said that Sir Peter Gibson had agreed to provide the Government with a report on its preparatory work. In December 2013 the Detainee Inquiry published its report setting out a series of questions which the Government asked the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament to consider. This Committee will report to Parliament and to the Government on the completion of its work.I do not want to pre-judge its findings. In light of the Committee’s report and the outcome of the related police investigations, the Government will be able to take a final view on whether another judge-led inquiry is necessary to add any further information of value to future policy-making in this area and the national interest.

USA

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government communicated with the US (a) Senate Committee on Intelligence or people contributing to that Committee and (b) Administration about that Committee's study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program and UK involvement in (i) torture and (ii) rendition; whether any information in earlier drafts or unpublished versions of that study relating to (A) direct or (B) indirect UK involvement in that programme were (1) redacted or (2) not published following representations from the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The US gave our intelligence Agencies limited sight of some sections of the executive summary prior to its publication. Our Agencies highlighted a small number of issues in the proposed text where changes would be necessary to protect UK national security and intelligence operations. None of these redactions related to allegations of UK involvement in detainee mistreatment. We did not lobby, at any level, to have information removed or redacted in relation to UK involvement in rendition or mistreatment of detainees. The British Government did not receive an advance copy of the summary before publication, and has not seen a copy of the full report.

Bahrain

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential reputational or political risk to the Government of the decision to enter an agreement with Bahrain to establish a naval base in the Gulf.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has had a naval presence in Bahrain for many years but our facilities there have been temporary and of a low standard. The purpose of the defence arrangement, signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in Bahrain on 6 December, is to improve and bolster the existing facilities to provide the Royal Navy with a forward operating base and accommodation for Royal Navy personnel. The UK greatly values its partnership with Bahrain on regional security issues, which forms an important part of our wider bilateral relationship with the Government of Bahrain.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received that North Koreans with dwarfism are subject to segregation and forced sterilisation; and what steps the British Embassy in Pyongyang is taking in its disability programmes in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to raise this issue with their North Korean counterparts.

Mr Hugo Swire: Reports that North Koreans with dwarfism are subject to segregation and forced sterilisation have persisted for many years. They are referred to in the UN Commission of Inquiry report (para 327), citing the Korea Institute for National Unification’s 2013 White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea pp. 442-444. This paper, available online, reports conflicting testimony from defectors on this issue, with some reporting those with dwarfism are segregated and/or sterilised, some that they are not, and others that they used to be but are not any longer. It also reports testimony from defectors who saw people with dwarfism in their local communities, in some cases married and with children. The paper notes that it can be difficult to verify testimonies given most do not mention exact dates. Our engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on disability issues aims to build the capacity of the DPRK to promote and protect disability rights and provide small-scale practical support to those with disabilities. There are many human rights issues that we have raised through this and our wider work, although this is not one of them.

British Nationals Abroad: Insurance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice his Department provides to British citizens travelling to (a) Italy, (b) the EU and (c) other countries on obtaining legal expenses insurance to cover such trips.

James Duddridge: FCO travel advice on the GOV.UK website covers 225 countries and territories, including Italy and all other EU countries. It includes advice to take out comprehensive travel insurance. This message is also central to the FCO’s ‘Know Before You Go’ travel safety campaign, which works alongside key partners like the Association of British Travel Agents and the Association of British Insurers. As part of this activity we point travellers towards a specific travel insurance page on the GOV.UK website, which explains that legal expenses cover will help those taking it out to pursue compensation or damages following personal injury while abroad, and that this cover is very important in countries without a legal aid system. Legal expenses cover is included in many but not all travel insurance products. On 1 December, I attended an FCO event held to promote our current 'Know Before You Go' campaign activity and to collaborate with key partners on future campaign plans.

Ecuador

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Ecuador government on (a) environmental protection and (b) protections for environmental and indigenous activists.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Embassy in Quito frequently discusses environmental protection and climate issues with the Ecuadorean government. Our Ambassador to Ecuador raised environmental protection in the Galapagos Islands and the future of the Charles Darwin research station with Ecuadorean government contacts on 2 December. Our Embassy also funds environment projects including a solar power project with the indigenous community in the Andes and a training project on sustainable tourism in the Limoncocha Reserve. We have not made any representations on the subject of environmental activists, nor have we been asked to by any environmental activists. The importance of human rights and free contact with civil society was raised by the EU during a high level political dialogue meeting in October. Our Ambassador has also raised the importance of civil society with the Ecuadorean government in the context of our bilateral cooperation.

Dalai Lama

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Dalai Lama; what topics were discussed in such meetings; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Dalai Lama is recognised worldwide as a respected religious figure, and it was in this capacity that the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg) met him in St Paul’s Cathedral in May 2012. Her Majesty’s Government has had no discussions with the Dalai Lama since this date. Our position on Tibet is clear and unchanged from that of the previous Government: we regard Tibet as part of the People’s Republic of China. We do not support Tibetan independence.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department issues to staff on terminology to be used when referring to ethnic groups in meetings with the Burmese government.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not issued guidance to staff on terminology to be used when referring to ethnic groups in meetings with the Burmese government.

Iran

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the detention of Roya Saberinejad Nobakht.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised our concerns over the detention and welfare of Roya Nobakht with the Iranian authorities on many occasions, including most recently on 15 December. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing consular assistance to Mrs Nobakht’s family.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress his Department has made on agreeing the language to be used in the draft UN Security Council resolution outlining the principles for a peace settlement between Israel and Palestine.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The draft UN Security Council Resolution was not adopted as it failed to reach the necessary number of favourable votes.

Azerbaijan

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Azeri counterpart on human rights in that country in the last month.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has not made any representations to his counterpart in the last month. I visited Baku in November and discussed concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan with both the President and the Foreign Minister. I also highlighted concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan in my blog to mark International Human Rights day on 10 December. UK officials also raise concerns at a number of levels on a regular basis.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials in his Department have been instructed not to use the word Rohingya when discussing the Rohingya people in meetings with the Burmese government.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 November 2014 (PQ 214863).

Ethiopia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings he has held with his counterpart in Ethiopia to discuss the continued detention of Andargachew Tsege.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed Mr Tsege’s detention with his Ethiopian counterpart on 23 September and again on 19 November this year. My team and Foreign and Commonwealth officials in London and Ethiopia also frequently raise Mr Tsege’s case in their interactions with the Ethiopian authorities.

Central African Republic

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to give practical personnel support to the UN Multidiversional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently has no plans to supply personnel to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission to the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), our support for the mission is substantial. The UK pays for 6.6% of the UN’s peacekeeping budget, and therefore an equivalent share of UN civilian personnel in MINUSCA, the UK’s support has also included £23m humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic. We will continue to work with the international community through MINUSCA and the European Union Force, to protect civilians from violence.

Department for International Development

UNRWA

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to continue to fund UNRWA when the current funding programme ends in 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UNRWA has a unique mandate to provide essential support for some five million registered Palestinian refugees. Until a lasting political settlement has been reached, UNRWA’s role will remain central to ensuring that Palestinian refugees can access basic services. The UK is the third largest donor to UNRWA, providing long term, predictable support to deliver essential services and supporting UNRWA to make necessary reforms to get the Agency on to a more sustainable financial footing.

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Department for International Development runs an annual Christmas card competition for children around the world. Winning entries are turned into e-cards which are made available for all staff to send. There is no central record of which individuals, companies or organisations receive cards.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page two of her Department's strategic framework for economic development for shared prosperity and poverty reduction, published in January 2013 (a) in which countries and (b) on which projects the £1.8 billion of her Department's budget to be targeted on economic development will be spent.

Justine Greening: Delivery of the Economic Development Strategy is a cross DFID priority. Programme planning and design is based on an assessment of need and context in the countries in which DFID works.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guidance her Department issues to staff on terminology to be used when referring to ethnic groups in meetings with the Burmese government.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Department for International Development has not issued guidance to staff on terminology to be used when referring to ethnic groups in meetings with the Burmese government.

Central African Republic

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will contribute to the European Trust Fund for the Central African Republic.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is not a current contributor to the EU Trust Fund for CAR. We welcome the leadership of the EU on the humanitarian response in CAR and on programmes linking relief, recovery and development. The UK has committed £30 million in humanitarian funds to CAR and CAR refugees since July 2013, funding a range of NGOs and UN agencies to provide protection, water, health, shelter and food security. We are keeping the international response to the CAR crisis under review.

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether officials of her Department have been instructed not to use the word Rohingya when discussing the Rohingya people in meetings with the Burmese government.

Mr Desmond Swayne: No. DFID officials have not been instructed to not use the word Rohingya when discussing the Rohingya people in meetings with the Burmese government.

Department for Education

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the savings to her Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems her Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not estimated potential savings from the Q&A system over the periods requested. We have also made no assessment of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions on time.   The system has, however, been welcomed by the Department. It is now easier and quicker to submit answers to parliamentary questions online, compared to the previous process of submitting answers in hard copy.   The Department is currently developing a new IT system to handle its parliamentary questions and wider correspondence. While this system would have been introduced without the introduction of the Q&A system, we understand that the two systems will be compatible and this could lead to a more efficient process for receiving questions and submitting answers in future.

G4S and Serco

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many tenders from (a) Serco and (b) G4S for contracts let by her Department were successful in each year since May 2010; how much her Department paid to each of those companies for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2015 each company holds with her Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between her Department and each company.

Mr Nick Gibb: The information, in the form requested, is not held centrally and a full answer could only be provided at disproportionate costs.   From the information we do hold centrally we have a total of two contracts with Serco, both of which are due to expire on 31 March 2015.   The amount paid to Serco and G4S since May 2010 is as follows:   Financial Year ending March YearSercoG4S2011£22,708,767.65Nil2012£1,859,328.89Nil2013£3,937,575.89Nil2014£2,210,233.65£12,458.312015£600,983.28£466.20 (up to end of November 2014)

Capita

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many tenders from Capita Group plc for contracts let by her Department have been successful in each year since May 2010; how much her Department paid to Capita Group plc for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2015 Capita Group plc hold with her Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between her Department and Capita Group plc.

Mr Nick Gibb: The information, in the form requested, is not held centrally and a full answer could only be provided at disproportionate costs.   From the information the Department does hold, we have two main contracts with organisations in Capita Group, the Learner Support Contract which is due to expire on 31 August 2015 and the Teachers Pensions Administration, which is due to expire on 30 September 2021.   The Teachers’ Pension Administration and the Learner Support contracts are both fixed price, but could change over the remaining duration of the contracts. Therefore, at present, the remaining value of the two contracts is £66.97 million.   The amount paid to organisations in the Capita Group since May 2010 is as follows: Financial Year ending MarchYearAmount2011£125,579,167.142012£24,812,874.802013£25,837,711.702014£20,828,241.592015£13,215,946.64 (up to end of November 2014)

Pupils: Bullying

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of reported bullying incidents in schools that was (a) homophobic and (b) sexual bullying in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Gibb: The information requested is not routinely collected by the Department for Education. Wave 2 of the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England has collected information on the perceived motivation of bullies by respondents, but this information will not be available until mid-2015.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children of each (a) gender and (b) school year group have been removed from the school roll in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Gibb: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.   There are many reasons why a pupil might be removed from the school roll, including moving school, permanent exclusion or when a pupil has died. The latest statistics on pupil exclusions are published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions. A pupil can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register in accordance with the grounds prescribed in legislation. These are set out in Regulations 8 and 9 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended. The Department does not publish statistics relating to reasons other than exclusion for removal from the school roll.

Educational Institutions: Inspections

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints have been (a) made and (b) upheld about individual inspections in (i) early years provision, (ii) primary schools, (iii) secondary schools, (iv) sixth form colleges and (v) further education colleges in the last three academic years.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from her Department.

Mr Nick Gibb: This information is not collected by the Department for Education and can only be compiled at disproportionate costs.

Ofsted

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applicants there were for the position of the new Ofsted lead subject inspector for religious education.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Religion: Education

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria the lead subject inspector uses to assess the teaching of religious education in schools.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Ofsted

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who has held the responsibilities of the lead support inspector for religious education since the departure of the previous occupant of that post.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Ofsted

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the new Ofsted lead subject inspector for religious education will be appointed.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Ofsted

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how long the posts of lead subject leader for (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) geography and (d) history have been vacant.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Curriculum

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish guidance on how to promote British values in school and ensure that traditional faith teaching is not considered extremism.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education published guidance on 27 November 2014. The guidance illustrates how schools can actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. This is wholly consistent with traditional faith teaching. The guidance on promoting fundamental British values in maintained schools is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380595/SMSC_Guidance_Maintained_Schools.pdf Guidance for independent schools, including academies and free schools is published online at:   www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380396/Improving_the_spiritual__moral__social_and_cultural__SMSC__development_of_pupils_supplementary_information.pdf

Carers: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to young carers who are in further education but have yet to reach adulthood.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place for the identification of young carers in further education in order to facilitate the provision of support.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms there are for the identifcation of young carers by government departments and local authorities in order to facilitate the provision of support.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms there are for the identification of young carers by her Department in order to facilitate the provision of support and benefits.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has changed the law to improve how young carers are identified and supported. This change consolidates and simplifies legislation relating to young carers’ assessments, making rights and duties clearer to both young people and practitioners; extends the right to an assessment of needs for support to all young carers regardless of who they care for or what type of care they provide; and makes it clear to local authorities that they must carry out an assessment of a young carer’s needs for support on request or on the appearance of need. These new duties come into effect in April 2015. The changes we have introduced apply to all children, including those aged sixteen to eighteen in further education. The Department recognises that we do not have reliable information about the numbers of young carers in England. This is why we have initiated a research project which, for the first time, will provide reliable information about the numbers and needs of young carers and their families.

GCSE: Stoke on Trent

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils at schools in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency received five A to C grades in GCSEs in each of the last three years.

Mr David Laws: Figures for the proportion of pupils at schools in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency who received five A* to C grades in GCSEs in the academic years 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13, can be found in the table below. 2012/132011/122010/11 Number of eligible pupilsPercentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C gradesNumber of eligible pupilsPercentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C gradesNumber of eligible pupilsPercentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C gradesStoke-on-Trent Central54981.652378.272878.6   These figures have been taken from the Department’s most recent Statistical First Release ‘GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics’, published online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2012-to-2013Figures for the year 2013/14 will be published in January 2015.

Education: Travellers

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take, and on what timetable, to respond to the report from Ofsted entitled Overcoming barriers: ensuring that Roma children are fully engaged and achieving in education, published on 16 December 2014.

Mr David Laws: Ofsted’s report recommends that the Department for Education considers how the allocation of existing school funding can be more reactive to in-year changes in pupil numbers. Local authorities currently have discretion to top up a school’s funding to take account of high numbers of pupils arriving at unusual times of the year. The Department is considering whether there could be ways to make the funding system even more responsive to in-year changes as part of work on funding reform beyond 2015-16. Ofsted also recommends that the Department takes steps to encourage more accurate recording of pupil ethnicity. From January 2016, schools will be able to record separate data on Gypsy and Roma pupils, instead of the current joint category. It is anticipated that this change will encourage Roma parents to declare their child’s ethnicity accurately, which in turn will help schools to tailor their support for these pupils. In addition, the Department will work with the its Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Education Stakeholder Group to disseminate the effective practice identified in Ofsted’s report and encourage local areas to consider what action they can take to improve outcomes for Roma pupils, in line with Ofsted’s recommendations to schools and local authorities.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who are cared for by a grandparent have a (a) special educational need and (b) disability.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold this information.

Children in Care: Drugs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her Department's policy to record and collect information on the number of children in residential care who take psychiatric drugs.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2014 to Question 214452, what information her Department holds on relation to children in care and psychiatric drugs.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education collects information on the number of children looked after in residential care via the SSDA903 return. The number looked after in residential care at 31 March 2014 is published in Table A3 of the ‘Children looked after including adoption’ Statistical First Release.[1] However, information is not collected on children in residential care who take psychiatric drugs and there are no future plans to collect this information. [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption--2

Special Educational Needs: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212540, which universities and training providers have taken part in Senco courses.

Mr David Laws: In 2013-2014, the following universities and training providers offered the National Award for SEN Co-ordination as accredited providers: Bath Spa University;Best Practice Network;Canterbury Christ Church University;Eastern Leadership Centre;Edge Hill University;Institute of Education,University of London;Leeds Metropolitan University;Manchester Metropolitan University;Nottingham Trent University;Oxford Brookes University;Real Training; Serco:University of Wolverhampton;Sheffield Hallam University;South West Consortium:University of Plymouth and University of Exeter;University of Bedfordshire;University of Birmingham;University of Chichester;University of Cumbria;University of Gloucestershire;University of Northampton;University of Reading;University of Roehampton;University of Winchester;University of Worcester.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have a statement for or related to behavioural difficulties.

Mr Edward Timpson: Information is collected in the School Census on the type of special educational need (SEN) for children with statements in schools.From the January 2014 School Census there were 42,330 children with a statement of special educational needs who were identified with the type of need as ‘Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties’. This includes those with this need as their primary need or as their secondary need only. The School Census covers maintained schools, non-maintained special schools and Pupil Referral Units. Children with a statement in independent schools or who are not at school are not included.This information can be found in table G2 in the additional tables of the Statistical First Release ‘Special educational needs in England: January 2014’.[1]The Department for Education is changing the category of ‘Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties’ to ‘Social, Emotional and Mental Health’ as part of the SEN and disability reforms introduced in September 2014. The aim of this is to reflect that while behavioural issues can be an indication of SEN, there should be a focus on identifying underlying issues and putting appropriate support in place so that these children can be fully supported [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2014

Carers: Older People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to grandparents and other older people who act as kinship carers.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many grandparents acted as kinship carers for one or more of their family's children in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of grandparents who provide care to their grandchildren. The Department issued ‘Family and Friends Care: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities’ in 2011.[1] This guidance is clear that children and young people unable to live with their parents who are in the care of family and friends should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare, whether or not they are looked after. It sets out a requirement on local authorities to develop clear, easily accessible policies to describe how they will assess and support children in the care of family and friends. [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-edward-timpson-on-statutory-guidance-for-family-and-friends-care

Children in Care: Drugs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on children in residential care who have been identified as addicted to narcotics.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on children in residential care who have been identified as addicted to alcohol.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of children in residential care addicted to narcotics or alcohol but we do hold data on substance misuse concerning drugs and alcohol (but not tobacco). 9.7% of children looked after in a residential placement at 31 March, who had been looked after for at least 12 months were recorded as having a substance misuse problem.Substance misuse is defined as ‘intoxication by (or regular excessive consumption or and/or dependence on) psychoactive substances, leading to social, psychological, physical or legal problems’. It includes problematic use of both legal and illegal drugs (including alcohol when used in combination with other substances).Information on the number of looked after children identified as having a substance misuse problem is published in Table 5 of the ‘Outcomes for children looked after by local authorities’ Statistical First Release: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities Substance misuse by children who have been looked after continuously for at least 12 months1 in residential placements at 31 March2,3Coverage: England, 2014 Children looked after by age and gender5 Looked after for at least 12 months1 Number identified as having a substance misuse problem4 Percentage identified as having a substance misuse problem4Boys   9 years and under9000.010 to 12 years370xx13 to 15 years1,2501209.216 years and over1,22016013.0Total2,9302809.5Girls   9 years and under4000.010 to 12 years13000.013 to 15 years670809.116 years and over71010013.6Total1,55016010.2All   9 years and under12000.010 to 12 years510xx13 to 15 years1,9201809.216 years and over1,92025013.2Total4,4704409.7Source: SSDA9031. Information on substance misuse is collected for children looked after continuously for at least 12 months as at 31 March excluding those children in respite care.2. Residential settings include secure units, and children's homes and hostels subject to regulations.3. Includes children in care for at least 12 months and placed in a residential setting at 31 March 2014. However, they may have been in different placements during the year.4. The term ‘drug’ is used to refer to any psychotropic substance, including illegal drugs, illicit use of prescription drugs and volatile substances. Young people’s drug taking is often inextricably linked with the consumption of alcohol. Therefore the term ‘substance’ refers to both drugs and alcohol but not tobacco. Substance misuse is defined as ‘intoxication by (or regular excessive consumption or and/or dependence on) psychoactive substances, leading to social, psychological, physical or legal problems’. It includes problematic use of both legal and illegal drugs (including alcohol when used in combination with other substances).5. Age as at 31 March.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.x = number less than or equal to 5 or percentage where the numerator is less than or equal to 5 or the denominator is less than or equal to 10.

Adoption

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards have been put in place following the decision to allow people who have been approved to adopt to search the Adoption Register.

Mr Edward Timpson: The pilot to allow approved adopters to search the Adoption Register has been delayed for technical reasons. Both the Department for Education and the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) are committed to the security of children’s and families’ data. This continues to be our overriding priority. This is a new service and it is crucial that we are satisfied that the system is completely secure before launching the pilot. BAAF have contacted all the agencies involved in the pilot to inform them of the current situation.

*No heading*

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans Ofsted has to inspect the school improvement service of Dorset County Council; and if she will make a statement.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

*No heading*

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice her Department gives to independent and boarding schools on distribution of female contraceptives and male prophylactics to students.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department has not issued advice to independent and/or boarding schools on the distribution of female contraceptives or male prophylactics to students. Independent schools must meet the independent school standards, including requirements to ensure that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school, and to ensure that pupils are properly supervised. Boarding schools must comply with the National Minimum Standards including similar requirements to ensure that arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school and that boarders are appropriately supervised.

Carers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children who are not cared for by a family member who are cared for through informal arrangements.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children with a special educational need or disability who are cared for through an informal arrangement.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of children cared for in an informal arrangement by a non-family member.The Department holds data on the number of private fostering arrangements notified to local authorities (i.e. arrangements of 28 days or more where the carer is not a close relative). This data does not identify if a child has a special educational need or disability. Figures are published annually in the statistical first release ‘Notifications of Private Fostering Arrangements in England’.[1]  At 31 March 2014, 1,640 children were reported as being cared for and accommodated in private fostering arrangements in England. However, the Department suspects that this is an undercount as it relies upon carers notifying the local authority of the arrangement.  [1] www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/328518/SFR22-2014_text.pdf

Children in Care

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who are cared for by people who are not their parents (a) live with an approved family foster carer and (b) are looked-after children.

Mr Edward Timpson: Legislation is clear that, where a looked after child cannot be brought up by a person who has parental responsibility for them then, wherever possible, the child should be brought up by a family member. For children who are looked after, the local authority must therefore ‘give preference to’ a placement with a connected person (i.e. a relative, friend or other person connected with the child) where this is in a child’s best interests. Such arrangements are sometimes referred to as ‘family and friends foster care’ or ‘kinship foster care’. Where a child is looked after, the carer must be an approved foster carer irrespective of their relationship with a child; so all such arrangements fall within the number requested at (a). There are 7,300 looked-after children who are placed with a relative, friend or other connected person who are approved as their foster carers. In respect of (b) the number of looked-after children excluding those who are placed with parents is 65,630. This data is published in Table A3 of the ‘Children looked after including adoption’ Statistical First Release: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption--2  The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of children who are not looked after but who are cared for by people who are not their parents.

Grant Maintained Schools: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to respond to the request for guidance submitted by Dorset County Council on whether responsibility for determining the age range of entry to a maintained school rests with the local authority or with the school.

Mr David Laws: An official from the Department for Education responded to a written query from Dorset County Council on 10th December 2014. The response confirmed that governing bodies of all categories of maintained schools can alter the upper or lower age limit of a school by up to two years (except for adding or removing a sixth form) without following a formal statutory process. Governing bodies must, however, still adhere to the usual principles of public law, including consulting local authorities to ensure the change is aligned with wider organisational arrangements.

Academies

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether and how the timetable for the creation of academies and sponsored academies will be affected by rules for purdah preceding the 2015 General Election.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Grant Maintained Schools

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of reserves held by local authority maintained schools in each year since 2006-07.

Mr David Laws: All local authority maintained schools report their balances to the Department for Education as part of their annual Consistent Financial Reporting returns. Some schools have deficit balances; others have surpluses. The table below shows total deficits and surpluses and the net position for all local authority maintained schools for each financial year from 2006-07 to 2013-14. PeriodTotal deficit (£)Total surplus (£)Net Reserves (£)2006-07(157,355,905)1,827,554,7811,670,198,8762007-08(120,094,299)2,038,862,9291,918,768,6302008-09(139,185,467)1,921,159,1681,781,973,7012009-10(161,418,942)1,826,696,8161,665,277,8742010-11(143,478,858)2,098,926,8821,955,448,0242011-12(109,936,775)2,433,469,8042,323,533,0292012-13(81,190,825)2,306,144,7742,224,953,9492013-14(75,947,088)2,260,316,1532,184,369,065Source: Consistent Financial Reporting survey

Academies

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of reserves held by academies in each year since 2006-07.

Mr Edward Timpson: The table below sets out academy trusts’ total cash holdings at the end of the four most recent financial years. Academy trusts’ cash is the best representation of reserves available to trusts.   Date Number of academy trusts openTotal cash,£ millionsAverage cash per academy trust,£ thousands31 March 20113776216531 March 20121,5241,19913031 March 20132,1081,8598831 March 20142,5852,46996   We do not have comparable records of academy trusts’ cash holdings for financial years 2006-07 to 2009-10.  The average cash held by academy trusts has fallen over the four years partly due to many smaller academy trusts opening more recently and holding less cash. We regard academy trusts’ cash holdings as reasonable, typically representing enough to fund one month’s operations after deducting current liabilities. Academy trusts cannot borrow and need to hold enough cash to manage their solvency prudently.

Free Schools

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of reserves held by free schools in each year since 2010-11.

Mr Edward Timpson: The table below sets out free schools operating as single academy trusts’ total cash holdings at the end of the three most recent financial years. The first free schools opened in September 2011. Academy trusts’ cash is the best representation of reserves available to trusts. Many free schools operate as single academy trusts and the department can easily identify that free school’s cash holding than the free school academy trust’s annual accounts. The table does not include free schools operating within multi-academy trusts. As well as free schools, multi-academy trusts may include academies that opened by other routes for example as sponsored academies or by conversion from local authority maintained schools. It is the multi-academy trust that then produces annual accounts that disclose the multi-academy trust’s total cash holdings for all types of academy within the multi-academy trust. The department does not ask multi-academy trusts to disclose the cash holdings of its individual academies or free schools.   Date Number of free school single academy trusts openTotal cash,£ millionsAverage cash per academy trust,£ thousands31 March 20121821131 March 20133882131 March 20141272620  With very small numbers of free school single academy trusts open before 2013-14 it is difficult for us to discern trends in their cash holdings. We do know that the average cash held by all academy trusts has fallen over the four years partly due to many smaller academy trusts opening more recently and holding less cash. We regard all academy trusts’ cash holdings as reasonable, typically representing enough to fund one month’s operations after deducting current liabilities. Academy trusts cannot borrow and need to hold enough cash to manage their solvency prudently.

Offences against Children

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (c) Childline, (b) Voice of the Child in Care and (c) other similar organisations on the reporting of child abuse.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has regular discussions with the NSPCC who receive funding from the Department for Childline and other helplines to help children experiencing abuse. Reporting abuse and neglect as early as possible is vital so that children get the help and support they need. Our statutory guidance is very clear that a referral should be made to children’s social care as soon as a problem presents. The Department holds a number of meetings with different organisations to discuss how to improve the process of referral for both children and those working with them. The Government is also supporting both the ‘National Youth Advocacy Service’ and ‘Voice’ to provide an advocacy advice service for looked after children and care leavers. The service provides confidential advice and support to looked-after children and care leavers and includes advice and support relating to safeguarding concerns.

Offences against Children

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage children to report sexual abuse to Childline or similar organisations.

Mr Edward Timpson: It is essential that children suffering any form of abuse are encouraged to speak out. The NSPCC receives grant funding from the Department for Education to support ChildLine and the NSPCC helplines. £11.2 million has been provided from 2011 – 2015. NSPCC and ChildLine reach out to children through a wide range of media channels, and each service runs targeted campaigns on safeguarding issues including raising awareness of sexual abuse, and the need to report it. Recent campaigns such as the NSPCC ‘underwear rule’ and the ‘Zipit’ campaign focused on helping both children and adults to be aware of physical and virtual (online) abuse.

Human Trafficking: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to local authorities for caring for and accommodating victims of child trafficking.

Mr Edward Timpson: Local authorities have overarching duties in respect of the safeguarding of individual children in their area. Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities are under a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need in their area by providing services to such children and their families. Under section 20, local authorities also have a duty to accommodate such children in need in their area.Spending on child abuse and neglect is included within local authority core funding for children’s social care which comes from the Department for Community and Local Government’s Formula Grant, and from local taxation.

Procurement: EU Law

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has provided to the education sector on implementing the 2014 EU Procurement Directives.

Mr Nick Gibb: Schools and Academies should apply the basic rules of procurement whenever they spend public money. Compliance with EU procurement directives is not a new requirement for schools.   The Department has developed an eLearning tool – Buyways – that is available free of charge to all schools and raises awareness of the EU procurement regulations, as well as highlighting procurement best practice to support schools. This information is published online at: www.buyways.co.uk/   The Department has also highlighted the impending changes to the regulations at education trade association events and at conferences for the Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of School Business Management and The Academies Show. We will continue to do this at every opportunity.   We encourage schools to use procurement routes which are already EU compliant. Information may be found in our procurement guidance online at: www.buyways.co.uk/ and at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-procurement-resource-buying-for-your-academy

English Language: Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on programmes for the teaching of English to (a) primary and (b) secondary school students who do not speak English as a first language in each of the last five academic years.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education does not allocate specific funding for the teaching of English to pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). The funding arrangements enable local authorities to allocate a proportion of their funding to schools on the basis of local need, including by the number of their pupils with EAL to support their overall education. The per-pupil rate for this funding is decided locally and can therefore reflect local circumstances.

English Language: Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what programmes her Department directly funds for the teaching of English to primary school students who do not speak English as a first language.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education is not directly funding any programmes for the teaching of English to primary school pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). Schools are responsible for ensuring that their provision meets the needs of the range of their pupils, including those with EAL. The school funding arrangements provide flexibility to enable schools and local authorities to respond to their pupils’ needs.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken legal advice on whether local authorities are entitled to opt out of SEND placements under EU procurement directives and regulations.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice her Department has given to local authorities making placements to specialist academies to ensure that they are not open to legal challenge by schools arguing that those placements were secured without competition or procurement.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that local authorities are abiding by procurement regulations when letting contracts to acquire school places for children with SEND from Special Academy schools.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on the procurement obligations of local authorities when they seek to acquire school places for children with SEND from Special Academy schools.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she issues on the procurement process local authorities should follow when letting contracts to acquire school places for children with SEND from Special Academy schools.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that local authorities abide by procurement regulations when acquiring school places for children with SEND from Special Academy schools.

Mr Edward Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring their own compliance with procurement rules and all other relevant legislation.I have recently sought legal advice on the relationship and interaction between the duties on local authorities in respect of the placement of children and young people with SEN in specialist educational institutions and local authority obligations to tender for services under the public procurement regime. In the light of the legal advice I receive, we will communicate with local authorities in the spring so they are clear on the position.

Grant Maintained Schools: Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice her Department gives to maintained schools on what action to take when a student with special educational needs is verbally abused by a staff member.

Mr Edward Timpson: All maintained schools have a responsibility for the wellbeing of all their pupils. The Department for Education’s Teachers’ Standards define the minimum level of practice expected of all teachers in schools in England. The Standards make it clear to schools that teachers are expected to treat pupils with dignity and build relationships that are rooted in mutual respect.Any pupil who believes they have been subjected to verbal abuse by a staff member should raise the matter with the school, or ask their parents to do so on their behalf.

Unemployment: Young People

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparable assessment she has made of the number of 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training in (a) the UK and (b) other countries in the EU.

Nick Boles: The exact information requested is not available for 16 to 18 year olds in EU countries. The European Commission monitors the progress of member states in reducing the share of early leavers from education and training (adults aged 18-24 who left school without having achieved the minimum upper secondary qualification and who are not currently enrolled in any education and training) as part of their Europe 2020 education and training benchmarking strategy. The UK early leaving rate (12.4% in 2013) remains very slightly above the EU average (12% in 2013) but has been on a downward trend since 2011, falling from 15% in 2010 to 12.4% in 2013. However, the government’s official statistics (covering England only) are more up to date than these figures and show that the proportion of 16 to 18 year olds NEET at the end of 2013 was down to 7.6%, the lowest rate since comparable records began in 1994.   The Commission’s annual Education and Training Monitor (2014) is available here: http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/publications/monitor14_en.pdf The OECD publishes figures for 15 to 19 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), including 21 EU countries: Percentage of 15 to 19 year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (2012) %  Australia7.2  Austria4.7  Belgium8.3  Canada7.3  Chile (2011)17.5  Czech Republic4.0  Denmark5.7  Estonia6.8  Finland4.7  France6.9  Germany3.0  Greece5.3  Hungary4.8  Iceland4.8  Ireland9.6  Israel10.7  Italy12.0  Japan (age 15-24)9.4  Korea8.5  Luxembourg2.9  Mexico17.0  Netherlands2.4  New Zealand8.7  Norway3.0  Poland3.9  Portugal7.9  Slovak Republic5.6  Slovenia3.8  Spain11.4  Sweden4.1  Switzerland4.7  Turkey22.8  United Kingdom 9.5   United States7.7  OECD average (excluding Chile and Japan)7.5  EU21 average 6.1   Source: OECD (2014), Education at a Glance 2014, Table C5.2a.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933118903

Unemployment: Young People

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many 16 to 18 year olds were not in education, employment or training in (a) 2014 and (b) 2013.

Nick Boles: The information requested is published by the Department for Education and is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/neet-statistics-quarterly-brief-july-to-september-2014

Academies: Curriculum

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of academies and free schools have chosen to use the national curriculum or to use it as a basis for their teaching.

Mr Edward Timpson: Our online surveys of academies and free schools asked the extent to which (if at all) they intended to follow the new national curriculum in September 2014, for a number of subjects.   Figure 13 of the report called “Do academies make use of their autonomy?” provides the data for academies. The overall conclusion of the research was that the a large majority of academies are planning to follow the national curriculum to some extent or a great extent in all subjects and particularly in English and mathematics where only 1 per cent do not plan to do so. The report is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/do-academies-make-use-of-their-autonomy  Figure 3 of the report called “Are free schools using innovative approaches?” provides the data for free schools. The overall conclusion is similar to that for academies with a large majority of free schools planning to follow the national curriculum in all the subjects that they offer and all planning to do so in English and mathematics. The report is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/innovative-thinking-within-free-schools

Leader of the House

House of Commons Governance Committee

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will ensure that a debate with an opportunity for a division is held  on the report by the House of Commons Governance Committee on the Governance of the House of Commons, HC 692.

Mr William Hague: Yes. I will ensure that the House has an early opportunity to debate the report from the House of Commons Governance Committee and to act upon it on an agreed basis.

Private Members' Bills

Jason McCartney: To ask the Leader of the House, if he will (a) reassess and (b) increase the amount of parliamentary time allocated for Private Members' Bills.

Mr William Hague: No. In July 2012 the House voted against a proposal to consider Private Members' bills on Tuesday evenings, following a report from the Procedure Committee on Sittings of the House. In its subsequent report on Private Members' bills, the Committee assessed the timing of consideration for these bills but did not recommend a significant increase in the total amount of time available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural Community Broadband Fund was (a) spent and (b) returned to the EU.

Dan Rogerson: As a result of the Rural Community Broadband Fund in England, the Government is expected to grant fund around £13.2 million for 22 projects. These projects are both community and local authority led, in areas not in scope of the current national superfast rollout programme. Of this, 17 local authority led projects are to be incorporated into current contracts under the main programme to increase coverage to harder to reach communities. Five further projects have been contracted under the Fund.   No money has been returned to the EU. Where possible, any remaining EU funds are being utilised elsewhere across the Rural Development Programme for England.

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the savings to her Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems her Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Dan Rogerson: Core Defra has benefited from a modest improvement to time efficiency due to the greater automation provided by the Q&A system.   There are currently no plans to introduce or make improvements to any ICT systems that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system.   It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from her Department.

Dan Rogerson: This information is not recorded.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the level of compliance by puppy farms with regulations relating to the breeding and sale of puppies.

George Eustice: Defra has not made any assessment of the level of compliance with dog breeding regulations. It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that licensed dog breeders comply with the relevant regulations. On 13 November, my department wrote to all local authorities in England reminding them of the definition of a licensed dog breeding establishment under the relevant legislation in order to ensure that dog breeders are appropriately regulated.

Marine Protected Areas

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2014 to Question 216668, how many of the marine protected areas in the waters of (a) the UK and (b) UK overseas territories are designated as no-take zones.

George Eustice: In English waters, three areas within Marine Protected Areas have regulations in place to prohibit all fishing activity. They are located within the Lundy Island, Flamborough Head and Morecombe Bay European Marine Sites. In addition there are numerous areas where fishing is highly regulated to conserve features for which Marine Protected Areas have been designated. There are other areas that may be closed to all fishing activities for a variety of other purposes, for example for the protection of wrecks and exclusion zones around offshore energy installations.   Issues relating to fishery closures in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are a matter for the respective administrations.   With regards to UK overseas territories, the British Indian Ocean Territory MPA is designated a no-take zone. The Maritime Zone of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands is designated as an MPA, of which 20,000km² is a no-take zone.

Birds: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take in response to Resolution 11.15 on the use of lead shot adopted by the 11th meeting of the Congress of Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

George Eustice: Defra has no current plans to extend the existing restrictions on the use of lead shot in England as this would be premature pending the report of the Lead Ammunition Group.

Floods: Insurance

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the feasibility of the implementation timeline for the Flood Re scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Flood Re is on schedule to be established by July 2015. After a period of testing and once the appropriate authorisations are in place, households at high flood risk will be guaranteed access to affordable flood insurance

Floods: Insurance

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress she has made in implementing the Flood Re scheme.

Dan Rogerson: We consulted on the regulations for the Flood Reinsurance Scheme (Flood Re) over the summer. The regulations are necessary for the insurance industry to implement Flood Re in 2015 and cover the legal framework around the Flood Re Scheme, its funding and its administration. The Government response was published on 18 December. We have reached agreement with the insurance industry on a number of matters on how Flood Re will operate, thus enabling the legislation to be laid in Parliament this year, and once approved by the financial regulators, enable Flood Re to operate as a reinsurer.

National Parks: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the progress of the project to extend the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the north of Cowan Bridge; and what estimate she has made of how long that project will take.

George Eustice: A public inquiry into Natural England’s proposals to extend the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks, including an area to the north of Cowan Bridge, was held in June 2013. The inspector’s report has been submitted to Defra and is now being considered. Should the Secretary of State decide to go ahead with changes to the boundaries it would be reasonable to allow up to a year before the changes come into effect. This would permit local arrangements to be made to transfer the planning role and to address the composition of the relevant national park authorities. The Secretary of State will issue her decisions in due course.

White Fish: Conservation

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to introduce domestic technical measures to reduce sea bass mortality so that stocks can rebuild.

George Eustice: We still need action at EU level to ensure stocks can rebuild. The Commission and the Member States involved in this fishery have undertaken to remain committed to doing the utmost possible, as of the start of the fishing season in January 2015, to reduce fishing pressure and protect spawning aggregations.   This process need not preclude or delay action at UK level, however, and I have already undertaken to ensure that a review of our domestic management measures for bass now commences as a matter of priority.

Dogs: Smuggling

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Question 214826, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Dogs Trust Report, The Puppy Smuggling Scandal; and if she will meet the Dogs Trust to discuss this matter.

George Eustice: The Dogs Trust’s report makes clear that responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born. The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has written to the authorities in the countries highlighted in the report to remind them of their duty to ensure that the welfare of pets intended for sale is safeguarded. We will continue to alert the authorities in any Member State where we become aware of issues in relation to the operation of the pet travel scheme.   There is a robust checking regime for pets travelling into Great Britain. Every pet travelling with its owner on an approved route is checked for compliance with the pet travel regime and UK Border Force carry out a wide range of checks on vehicles arriving in the UK. We will continue to operate this system of compliance checking, working closely with UK Border Force.   A new EU pet travel Regulation came into force on 29 December 2014 and introduced changes designed to improve the security of the pet travel scheme, including a requirement that pets must be at least 12 weeks old when they are vaccinated against rabies. This means that under the new EU rules pets must be at least 15 weeks old to enter the UK.   A request for a meeting has been received from the Dogs Trust and this will be arranged with the relevant Minister.

Hunting

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to prohibit the sale of badges which promote illegal activity by mounted groups of hunters hunting foxes with dogs; and if she will make an assessment of the prevalence of this activity by (a) the Countryside Alliance and (b) other groups.

George Eustice: The Government is not aware of the sale of any badges promoting illegal activity. If the hon. Member is referring to badges marking the tenth anniversary of the Hunting Act coming into force, it is quite within the rights of organisations such as the Countryside Alliance to promote an activity that can be carried out legally in accordance with the exemptions set out in the Act, and is of economic and social importance to many of our most rural communities.

International Climate Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to which countries and for what purpose her Department's contribution to the International Climate Fund has been spent; and what proportion of such funding (a) has been allocated to any multilateral institutions and (b) is (i) capital and (ii) resource expenditure.

Dan Rogerson: Defra is currently funding three projects through the International Climate Fund (ICF):   (i) ‘Reducing Deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado’ (£10m resource expenditure) to reduce the loss of biodiversity by restoring native vegetation and reducing deforestation; this project is being implemented by the World Bank.   (ii) ‘Low Carbon Agriculture and Avoided Deforestation to Reduce Poverty’ (£24.9m capital expenditure) supports small and medium sized farms in the Amazon and Atlantic Forests (Brazil) to implement low-carbon agriculture, protect forests and reduce the loss of biodiversity; this project is being implemented by the Inter-American Development Bank.   (iii) Defra has contributed £25.1m (capital expenditure) to the World Bank’s BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes, a multilateral fund. The Fund will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector and from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries through implementation of sustainable agriculture and smarter land-use planning, policies and practices.

Food: Safety

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that UK food safety standards are protected within the framework of the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

George Eustice: The EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could be worth up to £10bn a year to the UK, and could give consumers greater choice and more competitive prices.  We continue to work with consumers, industry stakeholders and the European Commission to make the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) a success for the UK. As part of this, we will ensure that food in the UK continues to be safe and that consumers have access to an affordable healthy diet and can make informed choices about what they eat.

International Climate Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the funds earmarked by her Department for the International Climate Fund has been disbursed.

Dan Rogerson: Defra’s total contribution to the International Climate Fund is £140m from 2011/12 to 2015/16, of which £60m has been disbursed to date. A further £40m will be disbursed shortly, and the remaining £40m in 2015/16.

Bees

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the quantity of honey produced by the hives on the roof of Nobel House since the installation of those hives.

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates bees were introduced to the hives on the roof of Nobel House.

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a specialist beekeeper has been employed to supervise the hives on the roof of Nobel House.

Dan Rogerson: Two beehives were installed on the rooftops of Nobel House on 3 November 2014. Honey production is dependent on the season’s weather conditions. Generally a single hive can be expected to produce a minimum of 25 kg of honey per year. As we are entering the winter period, the Nobel House beehives will not produce honey until summer 2015.   The beehives are managed by a skilled bee farmer, who is a member of the Bee Farmers’ Association. He is aided by an apprentice, who is part of the Defra co-funded Beekeeping Apprenticeship scheme.

South West

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what identifiable expenditure her Department has spent on Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in each year since 2007-08.

Dan Rogerson: The Department does not hold consolidated information at this level of detail. The main source of funding for waste, environmental and other Defra-related local authority functions comes from the annual Revenue Support Grant. Since 2007-08, funding received by Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from Defra and its Arms Length Bodies has additionally included:   · waste PFI credits · grants for water and sewerage infrastructure works on the Isles of Scilly · flood and coastal defence capital grant in aid for flood and funding for resilience projects · rural development programme funding · catchment restoration funding for the South Cornwall River Improvement Project · European Fisheries Fund money to support sustainable development of fishing communities · grant aid for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service to help crews to deal with local flood emergencies · funding for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty · capital grants for catchment sensitive farming · funding for the South West Bioheat Programme

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Amber Rudd: No formal estimate of saving has been done since the Q&A systems inception earlier this year. The main saving to the Department is in its annual contract for receiving the daily TSO feed of parliamentary questions at a cost of £5,000 pa. Other less tangible savings include administrative costs relating to the daily deliver of questions to the House by departmental staff, photocopying, envelopes etc. These savings will also apply with the introduction of the new Written Ministerial Statement System.The introduction of the Q&A system has not resulted in any changes to our current IT systems and it is not envisaged that changes will be made in the future unless there are upgrades to the Q&A system that allow us to circulate questions within the department from the system itself.One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies.It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Green Deal Scheme: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the possibility of making the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund available to householders in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from his Department.

Amber Rudd: The Department does not hold a central record of Christmas cards sent out by Ministerial offices or officials.

Plutonium

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made in the Government's decision for handling the UK's plutonium stockpile.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Power: Skilled Workers

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps his Department is taking to prevent a skills shortage in the nuclear sector.

Matthew Hancock: The 2013 Nuclear Industrial Strategy set out Government and Industry’s joint ambitions to meet the rising demand for nuclear skills in the UK by identifying future skills shortages and establishing training programmes to address them.The Nuclear Industry Council’s (NIC) skills workstream oversees this work and has a detailed assessment of the current and projected future nuclear workforce skills demands across the UK, allowing it to take action to address key future gaps. The latest version of this, the Nuclear Workforce Assessment 2014, was issued in November.The NIC workstream, nuclear developers and skills bodies, the latter acting collectively through the Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance, have developed a raft of initiatives to tackle the skills shortages identified by earlier NWAs.

Electric Cables

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions he has had with (a) his ministerial colleagues and (b) his counterpart in the Welsh Government on the economic effects of using pylons for electricity transmission and their potential effect on (a) tourism and (b) property values.

Matthew Hancock: DECC Ministers meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues and the Welsh Government to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Energy: Meters

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent progress he has made on the mass rollout of the Smart Meter programme.

Amber Rudd: Good progress is being made. Details of some key developments since December 2013 are set out in the Government’s ‘Third Annual Report on the Roll-out of Smart Meters’, published on 11 December 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-annual-progress-report-on-the-roll-out-of-smart-meters.Developments over the last 12 months include:the launch of Smart Energy GB in July 2014 and the start of the public-facing campaign to communicate the benefits of smart meters to consumers;the completion in November of the notification to the European Commission of key technical documents, including the second iteration of the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications (SMETS2), the Communications Hub Technical Specifications, the Great Britain Companion Specification and the Commercial Product Assurance Security Characteristics. These give industry players a stable platform for building, testing and deploying their equipment and systems;the further development of the Smart Energy Code, the legal framework setting out the rights and obligations for the different industry parties that use the smart metering system. During 2014, the Government introduced a number of important parts to the Code, including those areas required for testing;the recent completion by the DCC of a consultation on changes to its workplan to build and test its data and communication services, for decision in the new year.the continued installation of SMETS1 smart meters in homes and businesses (see below).Extensive preparations are being made by energy suppliers and other industry players, including in the areas of meter procurement, finance, back office systems and process readiness, and staff recruitment and training. We will continue to work with those organisations that have made less progress to ensure they are ready to deliver the benefits of smart meters to their customers.A number of energy suppliers are continuing to install smart and advanced meters in people’s homes and businesses, allowing their consumers to receive benefits now. Information on the number of smart meters installed by seven of the larger energy suppliers in quarter three 2014 is set out in the Government’s ‘Smart Meters, Great Britain, Quarterly report to end September 2014’, published on 18 December 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistical-release-and-data-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2014.The report shows that there are now 543,900 smart meters in domestic properties and 515,300 smart and advanced meters in smaller non-domestic sites now operating across Great Britain.

Green Deal Scheme

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps his Department is taking to identify and tackle companies who falsely claim to be providing work as part of the Green Deal.

Amber Rudd: I am determined to tackle Green Deal fraud and have been in regular contact with Trading Standards, as the responsible body for investigating any practising companies who are suspected of falsely claiming to be Green Deal authorised. I also recently issued a joint communication with the Chairman of the Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers (ACTSO), the Green Deal participants, to remind them of their responsibilities. Under both framework regulations and the Green Deal Code of Practice, Green Deal participants have a duty to adhere to rules regarding the the practice of generating ‘leads’ through cold-calling and the promotion of incorrect or exaggerated information regarding the nature or benefits of the Green Deal.

Renewable Energy

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much renewable electricity capacity is projected to come online before 2020.

Matthew Hancock: The Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan [1], published in December 2013, outlined the following projections for renewable electricity capacity in 2020 split by technology. All the values given are in gigawatts. Technology 2020Advanced Conversion Technologies (with or without CHP)c.0.2-0.3Anaerobic Digestion (with or without CHP) (>5 MW)c.0.3-0.4Biomass Conversion1.7 – 3.4Dedicated Biomass (with CHP)c. 0.3-0.6Energy from Waste (with CHP)c. 0.4Geothermal (with or without CHP)< 0.1Hydro (>5 MW)c. 1.7Landfill Gasc. 0.9Offshore Wind8 – 15Onshore Wind (>5 MW)11-13Sewage Gasc. 0.2Large-Scale Solar Photo-Voltaic (>5 MW)2.4 – 4Tidal Streamc. 0.1Wave[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268221/181213_2013_EMR_Delivery_Plan_FINAL.pdf

Fossil Fuels: Carbon Emissions

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what constraints there are on the carbon emissions of fossil fuel plant falling beneath the 20MW threshold.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

International Climate Fund

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress he has made on the pilot for the Green Investment Bank to manage funds on behalf of the International Climate Fund; and if he will set a date to launch the pilot.

Amber Rudd: The Government is exploring the potential for the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) to assist in investing some of the UK’s international climate fund (ICF). DECC is currently working with the Green Investment Bank and colleagues in BIS, DFID and the Shareholder Executive to assess the feasibility of the GIB developing and managing some ICF projects.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212486, when he expects the assessment of the applications received under the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing round to be completed; and when he expects to set a date for announcement of the award of licences.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 14 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to N Alves Lopes.

Matthew Hancock: I replied to the rt. hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 22 December 2014. A copy of my reply is attached.



Letter to G Kaufman 22.12.14
(PDF Document, 568.61 KB)

Electric Cables

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what review he has undertaken of the fitness for purpose of the business model for the transmission of electricity.

Matthew Hancock: The business model for electricity transmission companies is a matter for the independent regulator, Ofgem, and the network companies. Ofgem has developed a new regulatory framework, RIIO (Revenue=Incentives+Innovation+Outputs), which commenced for electricity transmission on 1 April 2013.

Fuel Poverty

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of fuel poverty on residential air quality and associated illnesses.

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of energy efficient housing measures on residential air quality and associated illnesses.

Amber Rudd: The Department has assessed the impact of energy efficiency measures on the ventilation and indoor temperature of homes as well as the impact of these measures on residents’ health. The headline findings of our work, as well as the methodology used, can be found in Section 6 of the document: “Fuel Poverty: a Framework for Future Action - Analytical Annex”:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211137/fuel_poverty_strategic_framework_analytical_annex.pdfIn 2014, we used the same approach to estimate the health impact of the extension to 2017 of the Energy Company Obligation – the flagship energy efficiency policy for the fuel poor. This analysis, which estimated policy changes will generate £225m worth of health benefits – can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/373650/ECO_IA_with_SoS_e-sigf_v2.pdfDECC has made no further assessment of the impact of fuel poverty on residential air quality and associated illnesses.

Plutonium

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will publish his Department's timetable for progressing the management of separated plutonium stocks.

Matthew Hancock: In January 2014 the NDA published a position paper on the progress it made on assessing options to manage separated plutonium, including the Government’s preferred option of reusing plutonium as MOX fuel, as well as the credibility of alternative proposals. Following this, Government concluded that all options for plutonium management required further work. We asked the NDA to undertake this work which we expect to be delivered in Spring 2015. When this information has been collated, DECC will begin the necessary Government process to decide whether or not to proceed into a formal selection process. However to be clear, only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

Plutonium

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made on the management of separated plutonium stocks.

Matthew Hancock: The UK Government remains open to any credible option that offers the best value for money to the taxpayer. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are undertaking work for us to:1) gain further understanding of reuse options (reuse as MOX and assessment of the credible alternatives PRISM and Candu);2) continue to develop the immobilisation option; and3) establish potential approaches to acquisition and procurement.We are expecting the NDA to complete this work by Spring 2015. When this information has been collated, DECC will begin the necessary Government process to decide whether or not to proceed into a formal selection process. However to be clear, only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

Electric Cables

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the current model is for determining compensation for householders when pylons are erected near their properties; and what plans he has to review or modify that model.

Matthew Hancock: Where householders own the land used for new pylons, network companies would normally pay a capital sum to the owner if an easement agreement is entered into, or an annual payment for a wayleave to the owner and/or occupier. Compensation is settled by agreement between the parties in the case of an easement or a voluntary or necessary (compulsory) wayleave. Failing agreement in the case of a necessary wayleave, compensation is settled by the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) at the request of either party (as provided for in paragraph 7(4) of Schedule 4 to the Electricity Act 1989). There are no plans to review or modify this approach.

Fuel Poverty: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many children in England were classed as living in fuel poverty in each year since May 2010.

Amber Rudd: Fuel poverty is measured at the household level rather than the individual level. The number of households in fuel poverty in England, which contain at least one child under the age of 16, is shown in the table.   Fuel poverty is measured using the Low Income High Costs measure, which is only available back to 2011.   Number of households in fuel poverty which contain at least one child under the age of 16Number of households in fuel poverty (thousands)Total number of households (thousands)% of households in this group that are in fuel poverty2012 9586452152011 898626414.3

Deputy Prime Minister

Human Rights: Colombia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he raised human rights issues in relation to sexual violence against women with President Juan Manuel Santos in (a) Bogotá and (b) London; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Clegg: I discussed sexual violence against women when I met President Santos in November this year. I commended the leading role that the President had played in tackling sexual violence, including the recently announced day to commemorate Victims of Sexual Violence in Colombia. The prevention of sexual violence in conflict continues to form a core part of the British Embassy’s human rights work, and the Embassy in Bogotá is funding three related projects in 2014-15.

Human Rights: Colombia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he raised human rights issues in relation to military justice, land rights and risks faced by human rights defenders with President Juan Manuel Santos in (a) Bogotá and (b) London; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Clegg: I met President Santos on 4 February in Bogotá. While in Colombia, I had meetings with former combatants, victims of the conflict and human rights groups. I raised human rights with President Santos, welcoming his commitment to act on abuse and provide an improved national framework. We discussed the security challenges faced by human rights defenders in the regions. I subsequently met President Santos on 7 November in London and welcomed the President’s commitment to protect human rights defenders. I urged the President to address the public threats some victims who supported the peace process had recently received.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 21 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr M M Roberts.

Mr Nick Clegg: A response was sent on 18 December 2014.

Attorney General

Judicial Review

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Attorney General, how many judicial reviews there were involving Government departments according to records held by the (a) Treasury Solicitor and (b) Administrative Court Office in each of the last four years; and how many such reviews were upheld in whole or in part in each such year.

Mr Robert Buckland: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 October 2014.The correct answer should have been:

The Treasury Solicitor’s Department holds records relating only to those cases in which it has acted. The Treasury Solicitor represents most, but not all, government departments in litigation. For example, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs normally conducts its own litigation. According to records held by the Treasury Solicitor, the number of judicial reviews involving government departments in which it has acted in each of the last four years is as follows:2010 – 8,5662011 – 9,6032012 – 10,2742013 – 16,449Information relating to how many of those reviews were upheld in whole or in part in each year is not held centrally and could not be created without incurring disproportionate cost.The Administrative Court Office does not collate the information requested centrally and determining the number of reviews and how many such reviews were upheld in whole or in part would incur a disproportionate cost.The information requested in respect of the Administrative Court Office is published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/267408/additional-court-tables-2012.xls . The 2013 data is not currently available.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Treasury Solicitor’s Department holds records relating only to those cases in which it has acted. The Treasury Solicitor represents most, but not all, government departments in litigation. For example, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs normally conducts its own litigation. According to records held by the Treasury Solicitor, the number of judicial reviews involving government departments in which it has acted in each of the last four years is as follows:2010 – 8,5662011 – 9,6032012 – 10,2742013 – 16,449Information relating to how many of those reviews were upheld in whole or in part in each year is not held centrally and could not be created without incurring disproportionate cost.The Administrative Court Office does not collate the information requested centrally and determining the number of reviews and how many such reviews were upheld in whole or in part would incur a disproportionate cost.The information requested in respect of the Administrative Court Office is published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/267408/additional-court-tables-2012.xls . The 2013 data is not currently available.

Written Questions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the savings to the Law Officers' Departments from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems the Law Officers' Departments have introduced or plan to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s Office has made an estimated saving of £164 in respect of stationery costs since June 2014. There may also have been some savings in staff time but it is not possible to quantify this without incurring a disproportionate cost. There have been no other identified savings. There have also not been any modifications made to existing ICT systems that were dependent on introduction of the Q&A system. One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies.   It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.

Crime: Disability

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged with disability hate crimes in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of defendants charged and prosecuted in cases where the offences involved disability hate crime.   The CPS defines disability hate crime as any incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person because of their disability or perceived disability.   The CPS began identifying and monitoring disability hate crime cases from 1st April 2007 following the publication of the Hate Crime Public Policy and Prosecution Guidance in February 2007.   During each of the last seven years the numbers of defendants charged and prosecuted, in cases flagged as disability hate crime, is as follows:   Total Prosecuted2007 - 081832008 - 093932009 - 106382010 - 117262011 - 126212012 - 136402013 - 14574   Data Source: CPS Management Information System

Ministry of Justice

G4S

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions G4S has tendered for contracts let by his Department in each year since May 2010.

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions SERCO has tendered for contracts let by his Department in each year since May 2010.

Andrew Selous: To find out on how many occasions G4S and SERCO have tendered for contracts let by the Department in each year since May 2010, would entail indentifying and then contacting all individuals responsible for the management of contracts. The individuals would then need to search electronic and manual records since May 2010 to determine whether G4S and SERCO tendered for their areas contracts. This would incur disproportionate costs as it would exceed the costs threshold.

Courts: Prison Accommodation

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions court cells were made available for housing prisoners overnight in each of the last four years.

Andrew Selous: Court cells have not been used to hold prisoners overnight since 28 February 2008.

Prison Sentences

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were given imprisonment for public protection sentences of at least two years less than in a decision handed down before 14 July 2008 are still in prison; and what offences each such person committed.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection handed down before 14 July 2008 are beyond their minimum tariff; and what offences each such prisoner committed.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners serving public protection sentences are beyong their minimum tariff; and what offences each such prisoner was convicted of.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners with public protection sentences imposed on or after 14 July 2008 are beyond their minimum tariff; and for what offence each such prisoner was convicted.

Andrew Selous: The indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was abolished in late 2012, but not retrospectively. It is for the independent Parole Board to determine whether a prisoner serving an IPP should be released once he has completed the minimum custodial period set by the Court for the purposes of retribution and deterrence – commonly known as the “tariff”. Under the statutory release test, the Parole Board may direct the release of an IPP prisoner only if it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary on the grounds of public protection for the prisoner to be detained in custody. It is right that IPP prisoners should remain in custody until it is safe for them to be released. Some short tariff IPPs who were sentenced prior to the 2008 changes are achieving release, where they engage with opportunities provided to them to reduce their risk. As the table below shows, a total of 594 of these prisoners remain in custody as at the end of September 2014. This compares to 650 at the end of March 2014. The first table shows the number of IPP prisoners whose tariff length was less than 2 years and who were sentenced prior to 14 July 2008, by offence, as at 30 September 2014.OffenceHeadcountViolence against the person163Sexual offences159Robbery161Burglary6Theft and handling1Other offences103Offence not recorded1Grand Total594 The second table shows the number of IPP prisoners whose minimum tariff expiry date has passed and who were sentenced on or after 14 July 2008, by offence, as at 30 September 2014.  OffenceHeadcountViolence against the person480Sexual offences411Drug offences2Robbery286Burglary43Theft and handling2Other offences172Offence not recorded3Total1399 52.2% of the total number of IPP prisoners, who were sentenced on or after 14 July 2008, have passed their tariff expiry date. The third table shows the number of IPP prisoners whose minimum tariff expiry date has passed, by offence, as at 30 September 2014.OffenceHeadcountViolence against the person1204Sexual offences1026Drug offences4Robbery902Burglary93Theft and handling3Motoring offences1Other offences396Offence not recorded4Total3633 72.4% of the total number of IPP prisoners have passed their tariff expiry date. The fourth table shows the number of IPP prisoners whose minimum tariff expiry date has passed and who were sentenced prior to 14th July 2008, by Offence, as at 30 September 2014OffenceHeadcountViolence against the person723Sexual offences615Drug offences2Robbery615Burglary50Theft and handling1Motoring offences1Other offences224Offence not recorded1Total2232 95.4% of the total number of IPP prisoners, who were sentenced prior to 14 July 2008, have passed their tariff expiry date.  These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Electronic Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) discussions and (b) representations from the Information Commissioner's Office he has had on government data sharing.

Simon Hughes: The Information Commissioner has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice and other Ministry of Justice Ministers about a range of information rights issues, the details of which are not normally disclosed.

Electronic Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints there have been to the Information Commissioner's Office about Government data sharing policies.

Simon Hughes: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent statutory regulator and complaints handler for information rights. Complaints raised and dealt with by the ICO in respect of data protection or data sharing concern organisations’ compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The ICO does not hold any central records of concerns raised about government data sharing policies.

Secure Training Centres

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the need for secure training centre places in each region of England and Wales.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board is responsible for commissioning and placing all young people under-18 in a suitable secure establishment. The Board reviews its plans regularly to ensure that there is sufficient national and regional capacity in the overall system to place young people safely.

Secure Training Centres

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which of the four secure training centres currently operating in England has received the best rating from Ofsted.

Andrew Selous: All currently operating Secure Training Centres were rated ‘good’ in their most recent Ofsted reports.

Hassockfield Secure Training Centre

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of Hassockfield Secure Training Centre on the average journey time of relatives visiting young offenders accommodated in secure training centres.

Andrew Selous: The Government recognises that maintaining family ties can play an important role in the rehabilitation of young people. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) provides an assisted visits scheme for families of young people in Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children’s Homes which assists with travel and subsistence costs of visits. Video conferencing can also be used to help families maintain contact. The YJB does not collect data on average journey time for relatives visiting young people in the youth secure estate. The YJB does collect and monitor data on distance from home for young people. This is considered a more useful measure as it is not affected by people using different modes of transport. Of the nineteen young people that were transferred due to the closure of Hassockfield STC, seven were placed closer to home and nine were placed further from home. Information is not currently available for three young people.

Prisons: Publications

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by Mr Justice Collins of 5 December 2014 on the legality of a ban on sending books into prison, when he plans to amend the rules of the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme in line with that judgement.

Andrew Selous: We need to await the terms of the Court Order before we can decide how best to fulfil the ruling of the Court. The judgment in this case was surprising, as there was never a specific ban on books. The restrictions on parcels have been in existence across most of the prison estate for many years and for very good reasons. Prisoners have access to the same library service as the rest of us, and can buy books through the prison shop.

Prisons: Visits

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison visitors have been arrested in each of the last four years; and how many of those arrested have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of an offence.

Andrew Selous: Records of visitors arrested and of subsequent prosecutions and/or convictions are not held centrally. To provide this information would involve requesting and examining any information held locally at all prison establishments which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Altcourse Prison

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the G4S strategic plan on HMP Altcourse that has been received by the National Offender Management Service.

Andrew Selous: There are no plans to do so. The National Offender Management Service will monitor its progress closely.

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions the Legal Aid Agency has had with the legal profession on the 24 month prescribed time period for evidence relating to legal aid funding of domestic violence cases.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The LAA, frequently with the MoJ, meets regularly with the representative bodies of the legal profession, and has discussed the 24 month prescribed time period for evidence with them. This Government is absolutely clear that victims of domestic violence should get legal aid where it is needed to help break free from the abusive relationship. We want to ensure the reform works in practice, and have listened carefully to any concerns raised in meetings with legal practitioners, women’s groups and professional organisations with a role in providing the evidence required. As a direct result of these conversations we have twice made changes so it is easier to get the evidence needed to prove domestic violence and so claim legal aid.

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times legal aid funding in ongoing domestic violence cases has ceased because the Legal Aid Agency ruled that evidence is outside of the prescribed time period since 1 January 2014.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The LAA does not record this information.

Youth Justice Board

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons his Department has not carried out an impact assessment of The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Amendment of Functions) Order 2014; and if he will ensure that such an assessment is published.

Andrew Selous: The Youth Justice Board for England & Wales (Amendment of Functions) Order 2014 will, subject to Parliamentary approval, assist the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in more efficiently and effectively carrying out its statutory function of overseeing the operation of the youth justice system. Having considered the additional functions which would be given to the YJB through the Order against the criteria in the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Making Legislation, an impact assessment is not required. The Order would not impose additional costs or reduce existing costs on business or civil society organisations, impose new or remove existing information obligations in respect of the public sector, introduce other administrative burdens or unfunded policy costs, involve some kind of redistribution affecting public, private or civil society organisations, and would not involve regulatory change relevant to the Government’s “one-in, one-out” rule in respect of regulatory burdens. The Government therefore does not intend to publish an impact assessment.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of those serving custodial sentences who were sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 were (a) moved and (b) not moved to secure mental health establishments before the section expired in each year since 2010.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving custodial sentences in each year since 2010 have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Andrew Selous: By virtue of Section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the 1983 Act), the Secretary of State for Justice may, by warrant, direct that a sentenced prisoner be removed and detained in a secure hospital provided that he is satisfied by reports from at least two registered medical practitioners that:· the person is suffering from mental disorder; and· the mental disorder is of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for him to be detained in hospital for medical treatment; and· appropriate treatment is available for him.The number of prisoners serving custodial sentences who have been admitted to hospital after the issue of a transfer direction under the 1983 Act in each year since 2010 is set out in the table below. Such transfers directions are valid for 14 days. The figures for total admissions include sentenced prisoners admitted to hospital more than once in a given year.   Table OneYear Total Admissions2010 4462011 4422012 4622013 457 Once a transfer direction has been issued, it is the Secretary of State’s expectation that the prisoner is always transferred to hospital within 14 days. However, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the transfer does not take place or is delayed. Such circumstances may include:- · the proposed hospital bed placement becomes unexpectedly unavailable and the transfer direction expires after 14 days (in which case the Secretary of State will issue a new direction once a new bed placement has been confirmed);· other court proceedings may intervene, with a new court order superseding the transfer direction The number of transfer directions issued under section 47 the Act in respect of prisoners serving custodial sentences in each year since 2010 is set out in the table below. Table TwoYear Total of Directions Issued2010 4512011 4442012 4582013 463 It should also be noted that as the direction is valid for 14 days, it may be issued in late December one calendar year with the actual admission to hospital not taking place until early January the next calendar year. For the reasons set out above, the number of transfer directions issued in each year will not match exactly the number of hospital admissions in that year. However, the difference between the figures for any given year is small.  Notes1. Table One - These figures include those admitted more than once in the year2. Table One - The data is drawn from Ministry of Justice/National Offender Management Service casework systems and from published Offender Management Annual and Quarterly tables. The link is: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual3. 2013 is the latest year for which we have audited and published statistics.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of crime were consulted before the perpetrator was released in each of the last three years.

Andrew Selous: The Victim Contact Scheme enables victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more or a hospital order, for violent or sexual offences, to be informed at key stages of the offender’s sentence. Key stages include any transfer to open prison conditions. Victims will also be informed of the prospective date of release. Where the offender is serving a determinate sentence, the release date is fixed. Victims will be informed of the expected month of release very early following sentence and will be updated should this date change - for example, if the offender receives added days. Where the offender is subject to discretionary release by the Parole Board, the victim will be informed early in the sentence of the month in which the offender will become eligible for consideration for release, and be informed of the Parole Board’s decision, including if this is to release the offender. Where release is subject to a Parole Board hearing the victim has the right to make a Victim Personal Statement. The Victim Personal Statement (VPS) provides victims with a valuable opportunity to tell the Parole Board how the prisoner’s offence has affected them or their family and what the impact of the prisoner’s release will be on them. The victim can apply to the Parole Board to read the VPS in person, with the presumption that the Parole Board will agree to this. The right to make a VPS to the Parole Board, and to apply to read it in person, was enshrined in the revised Victims Code which was published in October 2013. The Victim Contact Scheme also provides a statutory right for victims to make representations about the licence conditions that should be in place on release, to reassure and protect them, and to be informed which conditions have been included on the licence as a result of their request. These will typically be exclusion zones to reduce the risks of unexpected contact, and to prohibit contact with the victim. The National Offender Management Service does not record information centrally in relation to the number of victims who make a VPS and has not made an estimate of this number. In September this year, we published “Our Commitment to Victims” undertaking to do more to help victims navigate the criminal justice system, access the information and support they need, protect vulnerable victims and witnesses in court and to guarantee their rights in law.

Prisons: Publications

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Government spent on the case Gordon-Jones, R (on the appplication of) v The Secretary of State for Justice & Anor [2014] EWHC 3997 (Admin) (5 December 2014).

Andrew Selous: I anticipate that the Ministry of Justice will incur costs of approximately £72,000, including VAT.

Young Offenders

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the numbers of young offenders in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the causes of those changes.

Andrew Selous: Reducing offending by young people is a key priority for the Ministry of Justice and the Government routinely publishes data on the number of cautioning and sentencing occasions for young people as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly report: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly (see Table Q6.1). Table 1 below shows the numbers of cautioning and sentencing occasions for 10-17 year olds residing in England and Wales in each of the last five years, for the 12 months ending June. Table 1  First OccasionFurther OccasionsTotal201056,74287,859144,601201143,17074,602117,772201234,13659,58193,716201326,26744,01870,285201422,08037,13259,213  The reduction in the numbers of cautions and sentences has been largely driven by the fall in First Time Entrants (FTEs) to the Youth Justice System (see First Occasion column in Table 1). The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with the Youth Justice Board and other Government Departments, keeps under review the effectiveness of all elements of the youth justice system, and associated services for young people and their families at risk of developing offending behaviour. [1]Notes to Table 1(1) The first occasion on which offenders received a caution or conviction for offences committed in England and Wales. Where there were multiple offences on the same occasion, the primary offence as recorded on the Police National Computer would be counted. (2) Subsequent occasions on which offenders received a further youth caution, caution or conviction for offences committed in England and Wales. Where there were multiple offences on the same occasion, the primary offence as recorded on the Police National Computer would be counted.(3) Cautions include juveniles receiving reprimands and warnings or youth cautions. Youth Cautions were introduced on April 8th 2013 replacing reprimands and warnings for young offenders. The guidance is published at the link http://www.justice gov.uk/out-of-court-disposals(4) Includes offenders whose gender is not recorded on the Police National Computer. (5) Figures include offenders residing only in England and Wales at the time of their caution or conviction.

Prison Accommodation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of places in the prison estate to safely accommodate those sentenced to custodial sentences by the courts.

Andrew Selous: This Government will always ensure that we have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and we continue to modernise the prison estate so that it delivers best value for the taxpayer. We have a long term strategy for managing the prison estate which will provide more adult male prison capacity than we inherited from the previous Government. We also have a range of contingencies available to manage temporary or unexpected increases in the population. We are expecting to open over 2,000 adult male prison places in the coming months, which include 1,250 new places at four new house-blocks. We are also building a new prison in Wrexham that will increase capacity by a further 2,100 places by 2017. Taken together, these measures will enable us to accommodate safely those sentenced to custody by the courts.

Kidnapping: Children

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many UK parents have applied for the return of their child from another country under the 1980 Hague Convention in each of the last five years.

Simon Hughes: We take every case of international parental child abduction very seriously and the Government works with other countries to help resolve cases in the best interests of the children involved as quickly as possible.The table below shows the number of applications for return received from parents by the Central Authorities for England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in each of the last five years. The Central Authorities do not record the nationality of the applicant. Figures for 2014 have not yet been finalised. Calendar yearEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandTotal2009214715236201015071016720112006821420122209172462013222615243 The Central Authorities are the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit for England and Wales, the Central Business Unit of the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service for Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Government for Scotland.

Prison Accommodation

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders held in a cell designed for one inmate shared it with (a) one other and (b) more than one other inmate in each of the last four years.

Andrew Selous: Figures for the number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for one (known as ‘doubling’) are set out in the table below for the years 2008-09 to 2013-14. To place the numbers in context they are shown alongside the average prisoner population and the percentage of the population held two to a cell designed for one.YearAverage number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for oneAverage prisoner population% of average prisoner population held two to a cell designed for one2008-0919,15382,83023.12009-1019,08383,97122.72010-1119,26884,92022.72011-1220,15286,63823.32012-1319,04485,72922.22013-1418,51584,59421.9 While the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) collects the total number of prisoners held in crowded conditions (e.g. two prisoners held in a cell designed for one, or three prisoners held in a cell designed for two) it does not centrally record how many prisoners were held in a cell designed for one prisoner and shared it with more than one other prisoner. To identify the number of prisoners who were held in a cell designed for one but shared it with more than one other prisoner in each of the last four years would require manually going through individual prison cell certificate records in each prison, followed by a manual trawl of prisoners' individuals records to identify each prisoner’s cell location in each of the last four years, which could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost. We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and continue to modernise the prison estate so that it delivers best value for the taxpayer. This Government has a long term strategy for managing the prison estate which will provide more adult male prison capacity than we inherited from the previous Government. Crowding occurs when the number of prisoners in an accommodation unit exceeds the Certified Normal Accommodation in that unit. The average rate of crowding is published in NOMS Annual Report and Accounts. In 2013-14, the average number of prisoners held in crowded conditions decreased to 22.9% of the total population compared to 23.3% in 2012-13. This is the lowest level since 2001-02 and has come down from a high of 25.3% in 2007-08.

Prisoner Escapes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are unlawfully at large having escaped or absconded between 1 June 2010 and the most recent date for which information is available; and of what offence those prisoners had been convicted.

Andrew Selous: Offenders who escape or abscond are an extremely small proportion of the almost 86,000 offenders in the prison system at the moment. The number of escapes from custody has been falling since 1995 when central records began, despite an increasing prison population. Absconds have reached record lows under this Government, falling by more than 80 per cent in the last 10 years, but we have not been complacent and have made major changes to tighten the system. The table below shows the offence details of 17 offenders who remain unlawfully at large having escaped or absconded between 1 June 2010 and 31 March 2014. The offence is that recorded at the time of the escape. The table does not includes escapes from escorts conducted under the Prison Escort and Custody Services contract where the prisoner had not previously been received into NOMS’ custody and absconds from NOMS’ run immigration removal centres. Table 1: Offence details of offenders who escaped or absconded between 1 June 2010 and 31 March 2014 and who remain unlawfully at large: OffenceTotalArson1Burglary4Conspire to defraud1Drink Driving1Possession of a firearm1Possession of drugs1Rape1Robbery4Theft1Wounding with intent2Total UAL17 Figures for the number of escapes since 1995 are provided in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201314

Prisoner Escapes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department’s Analytical Summary on absconding incidents, published in November 2014, how many prisoners with a previous absconding incident and already in open conditions were assessed by the National Offender Management Service in the last three years; how many of those prisoners were allowed to remain in open conditions; and what crimes those prisoners have committed.

Andrew Selous: We do not hold information centrally on how many offenders with an abscond history were assessed for open conditions over the last three years. No prisoner will be transferred to open conditions, whether he has an abscond history or not, without an assessment. For indeterminate sentence prisoners (ISPs – those serving life or Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences), the principal means of approval for transfer to open conditions is by way of a positive recommendation from the independent Parole Board, which falls to officials either to accept or reject on behalf of the Secretary of State, under agreed delegated authority and in accordance with policy agreed by the Secretary of State. However, ISPs may also apply to progress to open conditions without a positive recommendation from the Parole Board being sought, where they can show exceptional progress in reducing their risk. Each application is determined on its merits under agreed delegated authority by officials in the Offender Management and Public Protection Group in the Ministry of Justice. Determinate sentenced prisoners are assessed for their suitability for open conditions by experienced prison staff with relevant input from offender managers and other professionals within the prison. The assessment will consider the extent to which the prisoner has reduced identified risks and any intelligence or other information that provides evidence of the prisoner’s trustworthiness for conditions of low security. Determinate sentence prisoners should not generally be moved to open prison if they have more than two years to serve to their earliest release date, unless assessment of a prisoner’s individual risks and needs support earlier categorisation to open conditions. Such cases must have the reasons for their categorisation fully documented and confirmed in writing by the Governing Governor. The public have understandable concerns about the failure of some prisoners to return from temporary release from open prison. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of temporary release failures remains very low; less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and about five in every 100,000 releases involving alleged offending, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government has already made changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners are now no longer eligible for transfer to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or have reoffended whilst released on temporary licence, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Scotland Office

Fraud

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) fraud and (b) financial error in his Department in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: A wide range of security measures are in place to deter and detect fraud and financial error. These are kept under review and additional measures are put in place as appropriate.

Cabinet Office

Postal Services: Conditions of Employment

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the number of workers in parcel delivery companies who are (a) self-employed and (b) on zero hours contracts.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Zero Hour Contracts
(PDF Document, 101.24 KB)

Self-employed

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many self-employed people there are in (a) Hertfordshire, (b) England and (c) the UK.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Self-Employed
(PDF Document, 128.23 KB)

Government Digital Service

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2014 to Question 218578, how many full-time equivalent staff in the Government Digital Service are working on further research on those lacking digital skills; and when such research will be (a) completed and (b) published.

Mr Francis Maude: One member of staff is coordinating this research across GDS, working with colleagues from departments. The research will be published in due course.

Serco

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2014 to Question 218583, when he plans to publish details of his (a) correspondence and (b) discussions relating to the Gold review after March 2014.

Mr Francis Maude: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of correspondence are not usually disclosed.

Government Departments: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 218433, whether https://www.gov.uk/performance includes information on the top sites on an annual basis for each of the past three years.

Mr Francis Maude: The information that can be found at https://www.gov.uk/performance is the collection of data from 24 February 2014 for each of the 24 ministerial departments, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s Offices and some agencies. These departments and agencies transitioned to GOV.UK during the autumn of 2013 and spring of 2014.Historical data can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/central-government-websites

Emergencies

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the responsibilities are for dealing with civil emergencies of each of the devolved administrations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The primary responsibility for emergency planning in the UK sits with local responders who form the basic building block of the response to most emergencies.Where an emergency occurs in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland and falls within the competence of the relevant devolved administration, they will lead the response in their territory reporting through the relevant minister to the devolved legislature.The relevant UK central government territorial department will usually be the first point of contact with the relevant devolved administration.Where an emergency occurs in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland but competence lies with the UK Parliament, the relevant UK government department will lead the response, liaising closely with the affected devolved administration(s) as appropriate.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people claimed jobseeker's allowance aged (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18, (d) 19, (e) 20, (f) 21, (g) 22, (h) 23, (i) 24, (j) 25 in 2013-14; and, in each case how many left the benefit within six months.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Jobseekers Allowance
(PDF Document, 136.59 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral evidence taken by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on 3 December 2014, Question 6, and 10 December 2014, Questions 168, 169 and 174, how many premises in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 were not and in (c) 2014, (d) 2015 and (e) 2016 will not be able to get at least 2 Mbps broadband from copper and fibre networks; what the geographic location is of those premises; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of covering the capital equipment and installation cost of a satellite broadband solution for those premises in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016; and what estimate he has made of the monthly cost to the consumer of such a solution.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom reported in its Infrastructure Report 2013 that the proportions of connections receiving below 2Mbit/s were 10% in 2012 and 8% in 2013, while in its Infrastructure Report 2014 it reported proportions were 6% in 2013 and 4% in 2014. The locations of these slow connections are available at postcode level at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/research/ir/Fixed_postcode.zipand by local authority at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv Ofcom suggested that about half of the 4% of premises in June 2014 receiving below 2Mbit/s already had access to superfast services. Almost all premises should be able to have access to at least 2Mbit/s by 2016. The cost of providing a minimum of 2Mbit/s broadband services would vary dependent upon the solution deployed; for satellite broadband the installation cost could be in the range £100 - £500 per user, and monthly costs to consumers could be from £25.

Nuisance Calls

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of nuisance calls made by companies in (a) the UK and (b) abroad to customers registered with the Telephone Preference Service; and if he will bring forward proposals to increase fines for businesses that breach the law on nuisance calls.

Mr Edward Vaizey: No estimate has been made about the level of nuisance calls made by companies in the UK or abroad to Telephone Preference Service (TPS) registered consumers, as this type of information is not readily available. However, tackling nuisance calls is a priority for the Department, including those that are made to consumers who are registered with the TPS. We published the first ever Nuisance Calls Action Plan on 30 March 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled.This set out our achievements to date, work underway and proposed actions for the future, which included both legislative and non-legislative measures. We are currently pursuing these measures, which we believe that as a combination are beginning to make a significant difference for the benefit of consumers. The Information Commissioner’s Office’s Office (ICO) can issue a substantial monetary penalty of up to £500,000 to any organisation for breaching the TPS and therefore we are not looking to increase this further. However, we have consulted between 25 October and 6 December 2014, proposing to lower or preferably remove the legal threshold, as this will make it easier for the ICO to issue more monetary penalties. The Government’s Response will follow shortly in 2015. Details of enforcement action taken to date by ICO can be viewed at: http://ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/calls

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the contribution of Sean Williams, Group Director, Strategy, Policy and Portfolio, BT, in evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on 3 December 2014, Question 10, what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of delivery of superfast broadband to 95 per cent of premises being completed in 2018 rather than 2017.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The government will deliver superfast coverage to 95 per cent of premises by 2017.

Nuisance Calls

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the level of nuisance calls made by companies in (a) the UK and (b) abroad; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such calls to (i) older and more vulnerable customers and (ii) others.

Mr Edward Vaizey: No estimate has been made about the level of nuisance calls made by companies in the UK or abroad, as this type of information is not readily available. However, tackling nuisance calls is a priority for the Department, including those that are made to the elderly, vulnerable and other consumers. We published the first ever Nuisance Calls Action Plan on 30 March 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled. This set out our achievements to date, work underway and proposed actions for the future, which included both legislative and non-legislative measures. We are currently pursuing these measures, which as a combination are beginning to make a significant difference for the benefit of all consumers.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many English phase 2 project areas participating in the Superfast Broadband Rollout programme have produced coverage maps of their broadband implementation plan at a full 7-digit postcode.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Eight phase 2 projects have agreed contracts. Of these, six are in areas which have maps and postcode checkers showing phase 1 coverage. For these projects, the phase 2 coverage is not yet confirmed. Two are new projects where survey and planning work is currently under way and maps have not yet been published. In addition the Government has now made available a national post code checker so that consumers can check on the availability of services at the location. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/gosuperfast

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the Innovation Fund has been spent so far.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Following an open procurement in March this year, eight pilot projects were commissioned under the fund to the value of £8.04 million. To date £737,000 has been paid to the suppliers of pilot projects for the project milestones they have achieved thus far.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many of the 1.5 million premises his Department's superfast broadband rollout has reached already had basic broadband 2Mbps from a copper network.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not have access to data that would enable the analysis to answer this question.

Broadband: South Yorkshire

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £22 million budget for the South Yorkshire Broadband rollout has been provided by (a) BT, (b) BDUK, (c) Sheffield local authority, (d) Rotherham local authority, (e) Barnsley local authority and (f) Doncaster local authority.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The funding for the South Yorkshire project is set out below. There is no split between the local authorities, because the local funding is drawn from a single source of European funding; the Sheffield City Region Infrastructure Fund BDUK funding - £7,875,000Local Body funding - £6,975,000BT funding - £7,562,189

Housing: Telephone Services

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the time taken by BT Openreach to provide for the connection of new housing developments to telephone services.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The lead times for connecting new housing developments will vary according to their location, the services being provided and the engineering difficulties that the company faces. I am aware that there have been delays in connecting some new developments and that Openreach has been recruiting additional staff to help address this problem. The Government recently published its Utilities Guide setting out performance standards for new utility connections. The guide includes for the first time performance standards for telecoms and broadband connections to new builds. This will allow the performance of communications infrastructure providers to be monitored. We will also be exploring with housebuilders and communications infrastructure providers the scope for making further improvements to connection lead times.

Broadcasting

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times (a) Ofcom has requested he proscribe a broadcast service and (b) he has proscribed a broadcast service in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom has not requested the proscription of any broadcast services in each of the last five years.

Digital Technology

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department has spent on digital inclusion in each year from 2010; and how much it plans to spend on digital inclusion in each year to 2017.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS does not hold a separate budget for the delivery of digital inclusion initiatives - it is a central part of our wider work on enhancing digital access and uptake.We have also created the Digital Accessibility Alliance. Working with other government departments, representatives from business, academia and the not for profit sector, we will develop policy which will lead to an improvement in the level of access for people with disabilities and older people to digital information systems, goods and services.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Publications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer to Question 218201, how many book titles in total are on sale in the House of Commons Book Shop; what proportion of such books are by women; and what proportion of such books which do not have the words woman, women or sexism in their title are by women.

John Thurso: We do not hold information regarding the gender of authors or editors on our stock control systems. Without considerable research it would not be possible to assign a gender to each author as names are not always easily assigned.In addition, we stock a significant number of titles for which there is no author or editor named on our system. Such titles include The London Diplomatic List, the Civil Service Yearbook, Vacher’s Quarterly and a number of similar reference titles. The stock changes on a regular basis as many titles are written about current issues and do not stay in the range for long so that titles are added and deleted from the range each month.As previously stated, we are committed to the inclusion of women authors within our range, and aim to represent women’s role in British politics wherever possible. This is an essential part of our objective to stock titles that shed light on British politics, Parliament and democracy.If the hon. Member would like to discuss the matter further, the Senior Retail Operations Manager would be more than happy to meet her.

Clerk of the House

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost has been of (a) fees to recruitment agencies, (b) travel and (c) all other costs incurred in the process of appointing the new Clerk of the House culminating in the selection of Carol Mills.

John Thurso: The costs incurred in the recruitment process for the Clerk of the House and Chief Executive were as follows:(a) A fixed fee of £18,000 to Saxton Bampfylde for recruitment support and executive search services;(b) A total of £10,244.26 in travel, hotel and subsistence costs incurred by applicants invited for interview;(c) A total of £8,952 for recruitment advertising.Costs are shown exclusive of VAT, except for travel and subsistence where VAT was inclusive and has been reimbursed by the House.